disks

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of disk.

   She backed up the project onto three separate disks.

   Surgeons can repair worn disks between the vertebrae.

   Note

   One plural serves every kind of disk: flat circular plates, the circular regions of geometry, the cushions between the vertebrae, floppy disks for storage, and, in a dated use, vinyl records. The spine's version also appears spelled disc, so intervertebral discs and worn disks name the same thing. No meaning has a plural of its own, so only the context tells the reader which object is meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of disk.

   The contractor disks the ground twice before laying any seed.

   She disks the back acreage every fall after the harvest.

   Note

   Spelled exactly like the plural noun, this form is told apart only by its sentence: in she disks the field it is a verb, and in three disks it is a noun. Two trades use the verb. On a farm it means harrowing the ground. In aviation it means moving propeller blades toward zero pitch, face-on to the oncoming air, so that they produce as much drag as possible.

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