backup

See also: back-up and back up

English

Alternative forms

• back-up

Etymology

back +‎ up

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌʌp/

Noun

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.

Synonyms

• (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)

Translations

reserve

• Czech: záloha (cs) f
• Dutch: reserve (nl)
• Finnish: vara-
• German: Unterstützung (de) f, Deckung (de) f, Ersatz (de) m
• Hebrew: גיבוי m (gibui)

• Italian: riserva (it) f, sostituto (it) m
• Japanese: 予備 (ja) (よび, yobi), 控え (ひかえ, hikae), 補欠 (ほけつ, hoketsu)
• Portuguese: salvaguardar (pt)
• Russian: резе́рв (ru) m (rezérv), дублёр (ru) m (dubljór)
• Spanish: respaldo (es) m, reserva (es) f

copy of file or record

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 備份 (zh), 备份 (zh) (bèifèn)

• Czech: záloha (cs) f
• Dutch: backup (nl), reservekopie
• Esperanto: sekurkopio
• Faroese: trygdarrit
• Finnish: varmuuskopio (fi)
• French: sauvegarde (fr) f
• Galician: copia de seguridade f
• German: Datensicherung (de) f, Backup (de) n
• Hebrew: גיבוי m (gibui)
• Hungarian: biztonsági mentés
• Icelandic: öryggisafrit n, afrit n

• Indonesian: cadangan (id)
• Italian: backup (it) m, copia di sicurezza f (safety/security copy)
• Japanese: バックアップ (ja) (bakkuappu)
• Korean: 백업 (baek-eop)
• Norman: baqu'thie f (Jersey)
• Persian: پشتیبان (fa) (poštibân)
• Polish: kopia zapasowa f, kopia bezpieczeństwa f
• Portuguese: backup (pt) m, becape (pt) m, salvaguardar (pt)
• Russian: резе́рвная ко́пия f (rezérvnaja kópija), (colloquial) бэка́п m (bɛkáp), (action) резе́рвное копи́рование (ru) n (rezérvnoje kopírovanije)
• Serbo-Croatian: rezervna kopija f, sigurnosna kopija f, pričuvna kopija f
• Spanish: copia de seguridad f, respaldo (es) m
• Swedish: säkerhetskopia (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Norman: ^{(please verify)} baqu'thie f (Jersey)

Adjective

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.

Synonyms

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

Usage notes

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.

Translations

standby, reserve or extra

• Czech: záložní
• Dutch: reserve (nl)
• Finnish: vara-
• German: Ersatz- (de) (noun), Hilfs- (de) (noun genitive)

• Portuguese: reserva (pt) f
• Russian: резе́рвный (ru) (rezérvnyj), запасно́й (ru) (zapasnój)
• Spanish: de reserva (es)

intended as backup

• Czech: záložní
• Dutch: reserve (nl)

• Icelandic: öryggis-
• Portuguese: backup (pt) m

Verb

backup (third-person singular simple present backups, present participle backuping, simple past and past participle backuped)

1. Misspelling of back up.

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English backup.

Noun

backup m (invariable)

1. (computing) backup

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Portuguese

Alternative forms

• becape

Etymology

Borrowing from English backup.

Noun

backup m (plural backups)

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