download
Definitions
To copy data from a remote system, such as a server, to your own device
下载
A file or program that has been or can be downloaded
下载的文件；下载内容
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddown + load = to load data 'down' from a distant server onto your own device. Coined for computing in the 1970s, it reuses the old cargo image: data is the load, the network the road, your device the destination. Mirror twin: upload.
Root load still carries 5 more wordsWhy It Means This
download and upload only make sense if you picture a central server 'up' on the network and your own device 'down' as the user. You pull data down to yourself; you push data up to the shared server. The 'down' isn't about gravity — it's about the imagined hierarchy of the network.
Common Collocations
- 1.download a file下载文件
- 2.download an app下载应用
- 3.free download免费下载
- 4.download speed下载速度
Example Sentences
- 1.
It only takes a minute to download the app.
- 2.
She downloaded the report to read it offline.
- 3.
The download failed because the connection dropped.
Easily Confused
download vs upload — download brings data FROM a server TO your device (you receive). upload sends data FROM your device TO a server (you give). Getting a photo onto your phone → download; posting a photo online → upload.