file allocation table

noun

A table used internally by the operating system to keep track of the structure of a disk and where files are stored on it.

Similar
FAT
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Meanings

nounfile allocation table (plural file allocation tables)

plural file allocation tables

  1. computingA table used internally by the operating system to keep track of the structure of a disk and where files are stored on it.

    The file allocation table needs just a single entry for each file, […]

    2008, A. A. Puntambekar, I. A. Dhotre, Systems Programming, 3ʳᵈ revised edition, Technical Publications Pune, page 13:20
    2 more examples

    […], although their access involves traversing the indirection in the file allocation table.

    2006, Dhananjay M. Dhamdhere, Operating Systems: A Concept-based Approach, 2nd edition, Tata McGraw-Hill, page 346

    For the file allocation table type of file systems, an entire file system allocation table is large and requires many disk sectors to store, […]

    2008, Bruce Jacob, Spencer W. Ng, David T. Wang, Memory Systems: Cache, DRAM, Disk, Morgan Kaufmann, page 691

    Synonyms: FAT

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA table used internally by the operating system to keep track of the structure of a disk and where files are stored on it.

Similar
FAT

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 文件配置表
  • 文件配置表 (wénjiàn pèizhì biǎo)a computer file system architecture and industry standard
Finnish tilanvaraustaulukko
  • tilanvaraustaulukkoa computer file system architecture and industry standard
Irish tábla leithdháilte comhad
  • tábla leithdháilte comhada computer file system architecture and industry standard
Japanese ファイル・アロケーション・テーブル
  • ファイル・アロケーション・テーブル (fairu-arokēshon-tēburu)a computer file system architecture and industry standard
Russian табли́ца размеще́ния фа́йлов
  • табли́ца размеще́ния фа́йлов (tablíca razmeščénija fájlov)a computer file system architecture and industry standard
Swedish filallokeringstabell
  • filallokeringstabella computer file system architecture and industry standard
Cite this entry
APA

file allocation table. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/file%20allocation%20table

MLA

“file allocation table.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/file%20allocation%20table. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “file allocation table,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/file%20allocation%20table.

Source: file allocation table on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.