Meanings
plural dongles
- computer hardwareAny small device that plugs into an electronic device, typically a computer, and alters its functionality. Common examples include wireless modems, digital media players, software copy protect devices, and adapters.
FreedomPop will offer three different flavors of broadband: a USB dongle that allows you to connect your computer to the internet, a WiFi hotspot device, and an iPhone case that allows you to override the phone's existing network and use it as a FreedomPop hotspot.
2012, Tecca, FreedomPop offering 1GB of free wireless data, hopes you’ll pay for more, via Yahoo! Tech, link - computer hardwareA hardware device used by a specific application for purposes of copy protection.
Take the dongle, for example. It is the summit of copy protection, an explicit melding of software and hardware. Without the right hardware key—the dongle—plugged into the machine's parallel port, the software won't run.
1997 April 1, David McCandless, “Warez Wars”, in Wired, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Unknown. Likely a descendant of dangle, reflecting that electronic accessories such as computer peripherals often are plugged in via a flexible cable (although wirelessness is also often relevant). Claims that the word comes from a man named "Don Gall" were made up by an advertisement. First usage 1980-1985.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan connector, motxilla
- connectorany short wired connector
- motxillaa hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Chinese Mandarin 加密狗
- 加密狗 (jiāmìgǒu)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Dutch dongel, dongel
- dongelany short wired connector
- dongela hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Esperanto aparatara programprotektilo
- aparatara programprotektiloa hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Finnish dongeli, dongeli
- dongeliany short wired connector
- dongelia hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- palikkaa hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- mokkulaa hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
French dongle, clé électronique
- donglea hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- clé électroniquea hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
German Adapter, Dongle
- Adapterany short wired connector
- Donglea hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- Kopierschutzsteckera hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Greek κλειδωτήρι
- κλειδωτήρι (kleidotíri)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Japanese ドングル
- ドングル (donguru)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Korean 동글
- 동글 (donggeul)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Polish klucz sprzętowy
- klucz sprzętowya hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Russian донгл, свисток
- донгл (dongl)any short wired connector
- свисток (svistok)any short wired connector
- адаптер (adapter)any short wired connector
- электро́нный ключ (elektrónnyj ključ)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- аппара́тный ключ (apparátnyj ključ)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
- донгл (dongl)a hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Spanish dongle
- donglea hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Swedish dongel, hårdvarunyckel
- dongelany short wired connector
- hårdvarunyckelany short wired connector
- dångelany short wired connector
- dongela hardware device utilized by a specific application for purposes of copy protection
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
dongle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dongle
“dongle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dongle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dongle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dongle.
Source: dongle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.