Meanings
plural boot loaders · alternative bootloader
- computingA 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 411 more example
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 […] , →ISBNSynonyms: boot manager
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small program that initiates the bootstrap process by loading the operating system proper.
Origin
Translations
Finnish käynnistyslataaja, alkulatausohjelma
- käynnistyslataajaA program that initiates the bootstrap process
- alkulatausohjelmaA program that initiates the bootstrap process
- käynnistyslatainA program that initiates the bootstrap process
French bootloader, chargeur d'amorçage
- bootloaderA program that initiates the bootstrap process
- chargeur d'amorçageA program that initiates the bootstrap process
German Bootloader, Bootmanager
- BootloaderA program that initiates the bootstrap process
- BootmanagerA program that initiates the bootstrap process
Turkish bootloader
- bootloaderA program that initiates the bootstrap process
Cite this entry
boot loader. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boot%20loader
“boot loader.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boot%20loader. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boot loader,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boot%20loader.
Source: boot loader on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.