Dictionary

dongle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɒŋɡl̩/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ˈdɑŋɡl̩/ (US)

Etymology

Unknown. Likely a descendant of dangle, reflecting that electronic accessories such as computer peripherals often are plugged in via a flexible cable (although wirelessness is also often relevant). Claims that the word comes from a man named "Don Gall" were made up by an advertisement. First usage 1980-1985.

Meanings

1. Any small device that plugs into an electronic device, typically a computer, and alters its functionality. Common examples include wireless modems, digital media players, software copy protect devices, and adapters.
   • FreedomPop will offer three different flavors of broadband: a USB dongle that allows you to connect your computer to the internet, a WiFi hotspot device, and an iPhone case that allows you to override the phone's existing network and use it as a FreedomPop hotspot. 2012, Tecca, FreedomPop offering 1GB of free wireless data, hopes you’ll pay for more, via Yahoo! Tech, link:
2. A hardware device used by a specific application for purposes of copy protection.
   • Take the dongle, for example. It is the summit of copy protection, an explicit melding of software and hardware. Without the right hardware key—the dongle—plugged into the machine's parallel port, the software won't run. 1997 April 1, David McCandless, “Warez Wars”, in Wired, →ISSN:

Forms

Deriveds

Donglegate · disability dongle

Descendants

동글

Translations (30)

ja ドングル (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · ko 동글 (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · fi palikka (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · cmn 加密狗 (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · sv dongel (any short wired connector) · de Adapter (any short wired connector) · sv dångel (any short wired connector) · ca connector (any short wired connector) · fr dongle (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · ru свисток (any short wired connector) · sv dongel (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · fi dongeli (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · el κλειδωτήρι (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · ru донгл (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · nl dongel (any short wired connector) · ru электро́нный ключ (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · de Dongle (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · ru адаптер (any short wired connector) · es dongle (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · de Kopierschutzstecker (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · fi mokkula (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · fr clé électronique (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · nl dongel (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · pl klucz sprzętowy (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · ru аппара́тный ключ (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · eo aparatara programprotektilo (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · fi dongeli (any short wired connector) · ca motxilla (a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection) · sv hårdvarunyckel (any short wired connector) · ru донгл (any short wired connector)

wikidata: Q16796509