9 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\ (f[imac]l), n. [F. file row (cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., &
It. fila), LL. fila, fr. L. filum a thread. Cf. {Enfilade},
{Filament}, {Fillet}.]
1. An orderly succession; a line; a row; as:
(a)
(Mil) A row of soldiers ranged one behind another; -- in
contradistinction to {rank}, which designates a row
of soldiers standing abreast; a number consisting
the depth of a body of troops, which, in the
ordinary modern formation, consists of two men, the
battalion standing two deep, or in two ranks.
Note: The number of files in a company describes its width,
as the number of ranks does its depth; thus, 100 men in
``fours deep'' would be spoken of as 25 files in 4
ranks. --Farrow.
(b) An orderly collection of papers, arranged in sequence
or classified for preservation and reference; as,
files of letters or of newspapers; this mail brings
English files to the 15th instant.
(c) The line, wire, or other contrivance, by which papers
are put and kept in order.
It is upon a file with the duke's other letters.
--Shak.
(d) A roll or list. ``A file of all the gentry.'' --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Filed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Filing}.]
1. To set in order; to arrange, or lay away, esp. as papers
in a methodical manner for preservation and reverence; to
place on file; to insert in its proper place in an
arranged body of papers.
I would have my several courses and my dishes well
filed. --Beau. & Fl.
2. To bring before a court or legislative body by presenting
proper papers in a regular way; as, to file a petition or
bill. --Burrill.
3. (Law) To put upon the files or among the records of a
court; to note on (a paper) the fact date of its reception
in court.
To file a paper, on the part of a party, is to place
it in the official custody of the clerk. To file, on
the part of the clerk, is to indorse upon the paper
the date of its reception, and retain it in his
office, subject to inspection by whomsoever it may
concern. --Burrill.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\, v. i. [Cf. F. filer.] (Mil.)
To march in a file or line, as soldiers, not abreast, but one
after another; -- generally with off.
{To file with}, to follow closely, as one soldier after
another in file; to keep pace.
My endeavors Have ever come too short of my desires,
Yet filed with my abilities. --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\, n. [AS. fe['o]l; akin to D. viji, OHG. f[=i]la,
f[=i]hala, G. feile, Sw. fil, Dan. fiil, cf. Icel. ??l, Russ.
pila, and Skr. pi? to cut out, adorn; perh. akin to E.
paint.]
1. A steel instrument, having cutting ridges or teeth, made
by indentation with a chisel, used for abrading or
smoothing other substances, as metals, wood, etc.
Note: A file differs from a rasp in having the furrows made
by straight cuts of a chisel, either single or crossed,
while the rasp has coarse, single teeth, raised by the
pyramidal end of a triangular punch.
2. Anything employed to smooth, polish, or rasp, literally or
figuratively.
Mock the nice touches of the critic's file.
--Akenside.
3. A shrewd or artful person. [Slang] --Fielding.
Will is an old file in spite of his smooth face.
--Thackeray.
{Bastard file}, {Cross file}, etc. See under {Bastard},
{Cross}, etc.
{Cross-cut file}, a file having two sets of teeth crossing
obliquely.
{File blank}, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for
cutting to form a file.
{File cutter}, a maker of files.
{Second-cut file}, a file having teeth of a grade next finer
than bastard.
{Single-cut file}, a file having only one set of parallel
teeth; a float.
{Smooth file}, a file having teeth so fine as to make an
almost smooth surface.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\, v. t.
1. To rub, smooth, or cut away, with a file; to sharpen with
a file; as, to file a saw or a tooth.
2. To smooth or polish as with a file. --Shak.
File your tongue to a little more courtesy. --Sir W.
Scott.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
File \File\, v. t. [OE. fulen, filen, foulen, AS. f?lan, fr. f?l
foul. See {Foul}, and cf. {Defile}, v. t.]
To make foul; to defile. [Obs.]
All his hairy breast with blood was filed. --Spenser.
For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind. --Shak.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
file
n 1: a set of related records (either written or electronic) kept
together [syn: {data file}]
2: a line of persons or things ranged one behind the other
[syn: {single file}, {Indian file}]
3: office furniture consisting of a container for keeping
papers in order [syn: {file cabinet}, {filing cabinet}]
4: a steel hand tool with small sharp teeth on some or all of
its surfaces; used for smoothing wood or metal
v 1: record in a public office or in a court of law; "file for
divorce"; "file a complaint" [syn: {register}]
2: smooth with a file; "file one's fingernails"
3: proceed in line; "The students filed into the classroom"
4: file a formal charge against; "The suspect was charged with
murdering his wife" [syn: {charge}, {lodge}]
5: place in a container for keeping records; "File these bills,
please" [syn: {file away}]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
file
<file system> An element of data storage in a {file system}.
The history of computing is rich in varied kinds of files and
{file systems}, whether ornate (e.g., {Macintosh file system}
for a well-known case) or deficient (e.g., many simple
pre-1980s file systems don't allow {directories}).
However, the prototypical file has these characteristics:
* It is a single sequence of bytes (but consider {Macintosh}
{resource forks}).
* It has a finite length, unlike, e.g. a {Unix} {device}.
* It is stored in a {non-volatile storage} medium (but see
{ramdrive}).
* It exists (nominally) in a {directory}.
* It has a name that it can be referred to by in file
operations, possibly in combination with its {path}.
Additionally, a file system may associate other information
with a file, such as {permission} bits or other {file
attributes}; timestamps for file creation, last revision, and
last access; revision numbers (a` la VMS), and other kinds of
{magic}.
(1997-04-08)
From Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [vera]:
FILE
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