File:Dir_command_in_Windows_Command_Prompt.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
directory
Sign in to saveAlso known as folder, drawer, file folder, dir, computer folder, computer directory
in computing, a file system cataloging structure which contains references to other computer files, and possibly other directories
~8 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Screenshot of a Microsoft Windows command prompt window showing a directory listing.
In computing, a directory is a file system cataloging structure that contains references to other computer files, and possibly other directories. On many computers, directories are known as folders or drawers, analogous to a workbench or the traditional office filing cabinet. The name derives from books like a telephone directory that lists the phone numbers of all the people living in a certain area.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “directory” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.