Phrase guide

read-only memory

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A computer memory chip that stores values but does not allow updates, in which the values are nonvolatile in that they are retained even when the computer is unpowered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ROM, read-only storage, fixed storage

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: memory, computer memory, storage, computer storage, store, memory board

Narrower terms: CD-ROM, compact disc read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: միայն կարդալու հիշողություն (miayn kardalu hišoġutʻyun) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Azerbaijani: daimi yaddaş qurğusu — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Chinese Cantonese: 唯讀記憶體 /唯读记忆体 (wai4 duk6 gei3 jik1 tai2) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 只讀內存 /只读内存 (zhǐ dú nèicún) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 只讀存儲器 /只读存储器 (zhǐdú cúnchǔqì, zhǐdú cúnchúqì) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 唯讀記憶體 /唯读记忆体 (wéi dú jìyì tǐ) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Chinese Mandarin: 唯讀儲存器 /唯读储存器 (wéidú chǔcúnqì, chúcúnqì) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Danish: rom — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Esperanto: nurlegebla memoro — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Finnish: lukumuisti — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • French: mémoire morte — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • French: mémoire fixe — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • French: mémoire ROM — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • French: mémoire à lecture seule — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Friulian: memorie di sole leture — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Galician: memoria de só lectura — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Galician: memoria ROM — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • German: Festwertspeicher — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • German: Nur-Lese-Speicher — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Greek: μνήμη μόνο ανάγνωσης (mními móno anágnosis) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Icelandic: lesminni — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Indonesian: memori hanya baca — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Irish: cuimhne inléite amháin — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Italian: memoria a sola lettura — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Italian: memoria ROM — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Japanese: 読み出し専用メモリ (yomidashi sen'yō memori) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Japanese: ROM (romu) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Kazakh: тұрақты жадтау құрылғысы (tūraqty jadtau qūrylğysy) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Kazakh: ТЖҚ (TJQ) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Latvian: lasāmatmiņa — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Macedonian: меморија само за читање (memorija samo za čitanje) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Malay: ingatan baca sahaja — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Mongolian: тогтмол санах ой (togtmol sanax oj) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Polish: pamięć tylko do odczytu — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Portuguese: memória somente de leitura — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Portuguese: memória ROM — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Russian: постоянное запоминающее устро́йство (postojannoje zapominajuščeje ustrójstvo) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Russian: ПЗУ (PZU) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Slovak: permanentná pamäť — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Slovene: brálni pomnílnik — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Spanish: memoria de solo lectura — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Spanish: memoria ROM — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Ukrainian: постійний запам'ятовувач (postijnyj zapamʺjatovuvač) — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Vietnamese: bộ nhớ chỉ đọc — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates
  • Welsh: cof darllen yn unig — memory chip that stores values but doesn't allow updates