boot loader
boot loader noun: a small program that initiates the bootstrap process by loading the operating system proper.
Noun
boot loader (plural boot loaders)
- A small program that initiates the bootstrap process by loading the operating system proper.
- In the case of a PC that runs nothing but Windows, the boot loader in the MBR is hard-coded to check for a secondary boot loader in the active primary partition. This secondary boot loader directly loads the Windows kernel.2007, Roderick W. Smith, Linux+ Study Guide: Exam XK0-002, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 41
- It was a thought that returned to me days later while reading an article about Elon Musk, one of the loudest voices calling to reopen the economy–a man who once referred to humanity as the “biological bootloaders” for AI.2021, Meghan O'Gieblyn, quoting Elon Musk, chapter 13, in God, Human, Animal, Machine […] , →ISBN
- Synonyms:
- boot manager
Synonyms of boot loader
Forms of boot loader
| plural | boot loaders |
|---|---|
| alternative form | bootloader |
Origin of boot loader
From boot + loader.
Questions about boot loader
- What does boot loader mean?
- Boot loader means a small program that initiates the bootstrap process by loading the operating system proper.
- What part of speech is boot loader?
- Boot loader is a noun.
- What is the plural of boot loader?
- The plural of boot loader is boot loaders.
Words near boot loader in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: boot loader (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “boot loader.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/boot_loader. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.