backup

• back-up

Deverbal from back up.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌʌp/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

backup (plural backups)

1. A reserve or substitute.

   If the goalkeeper is injured, we have a backup.

2. (computing) A copy of a file or record, stored separately from the original, that can be used to recover the original if it is destroyed or damaged.

   After the power failure, we had to restore the database from backup.

3. An accumulation of material caused by a (partial) obstruction or (complete) blockage of the flow or movement of the material, or an accumulation of material that causes an overflow due to the flow being greater than the maximum possible flow.

   The accident caused a mile-long backup on the highway.

   The blockage caused a backup in the plumbing.

4. (law enforcement) reinforcements

   He's got a gun! You'd better send for backup.

   • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Tuchanka:

     Shaman: My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?
     Shepard: How is a candidate tested if he brings backup on his Rite of Passage?
     Shaman: Not every krogan can be the strongest warrior, but each must inspire his peers to battle at his side.
     Shaman: If the ones who know you best can find nothing worthy in you, you should wander the wastes and die alone before you weaken my clan.

5. Any support or extra help.

   Coordinate term: backstop

6. (music) Accompaniment
   • 1984 April 21, Pam Gordon, “'There's Always Cost': Ferron's Boston Concert”, in Gay Community News, page 17:

     Debbie Ahn, on piano, provided some mesmerizing back-up and many fiery, on-target solos.

7. Corroboration.
   • 1982 December 4, Ilana Weinstock, “Letters From My Aunt”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 20, page 4:

     Pg. 206 on Yudit's comments on the feminists of Tel Aviv, "... and now they are translating Our Bodies Ourselves into Hebrew, leaving out the section on gays" was misinformed, a statement made without authoratative ^[sic] backup in 1979 about a book first published in 1982.

• (reserve): reserve, stand-in, spare, substitute
• (computing: copy of a file or record):
• (accumulation of material caused by an obstruction of flow): tailback, line (of cars)

backup (not comparable)

1. Standby, reserve or extra.

   I am only a backup player.

2. (computing) That is intended as a backup.

   Make a backup copy of that file.

3. Supporting, reinforcing; (music) of or related to accompaniment

Back-up is an alternative spelling of backup. Both spellings are used as either a noun or an adjective. The verb back up is always spelled as two words and never with a hyphen.

• (reserve): extra, reserve, spare, standby
• (supporting): backing

backup (third-person singular simple present backups, present participle backupping, simple past and past participle backupped)

1. (computing, nonstandard) Alternative form of back up
   • 1989, CERN, page 235:

     We have two methods for backupping: the first one is writing the contents of disks onto magnetic tapes and the other is making a copy of the contents of disks on the disk of the mainframe computers of the laboratory.

• upback

Unadapted borrowing from English backup.

• IPA^(key): /beˈkap/, /ˈbɛ.kap/
• Rhymes: -ap, -ɛkap

backup m (invariable)

1. (computing) backup

• becape

Unadapted borrowing from English backup.

backup m (plural backups)

1. (computing) backup (copy of file or record)

   Synonym: cópia de segurança