Storage: Keeping Things, and Keeping Data
Storage is the keeping of things for later. Computing borrowed the word, and the distinction between storage and memory still confuses buyers.
Storage is keeping something until it is needed. Computing borrowed the word and created a lasting confusion: *storage* keeps files when the power is off, while *memory* holds what a machine is working on right now and forgets it when switched off. Shops sell both in gigabytes, which does not help.
- Keeping things for later. *Furniture in storage.*
- Space for keeping things. *Loft storage.*
- Where data is kept. *256 gigabytes of storage.*
- Cold storage — refrigerated keeping, or a project shelved. *Put the plan in cold storage.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | storage | Extra storage. |
| Verb | store | Store it dry. |
| Noun | store | A furniture store. |
| Adjective | stored | Stored energy. |
| Related | warehouse | A distribution warehouse. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The paintings are in storage.Not on display.
- The phone has limited storage.Computing.
- The plan was put into cold storage.Shelved indefinitely.
Storage and memory
- Storage — keeps data when the power is off
- RAM — working memory, cleared when power is lost
- SSD — solid-state storage, fast and without moving parts
- Hard disk — magnetic storage on spinning platters
- Cloud storage — files kept on someone else's servers
From *store*, from Old French *estorer*, to build or furnish, from Latin *instaurare*, to restore or provide.
Storage or memory?
Storage keeps your files permanently. Memory holds what is running now and is emptied when the device is switched off.
What does *cold storage* mean figuratively?
Set aside for the time being. A proposal in cold storage has not been rejected, but nothing is happening to it.