3  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  nuke 
  n  :  the  warhead  of  a  missile  designed  to  deliver  an  atom  bomb 
  [syn:  {atomic  warhead},  {nuclear  warhead},  {thermonuclear 
  warhead}] 
  v  1:  bomb  with  an  atomic  bomb  [syn:  {atomize},  {zap}] 
  2:  bomb  with  atomic  weapons  [syn:  {atom-bomb}] 
  3:  cook  or  heat  in  a  microwave  oven;  "You  can  microwave  the 
  left-overs"  [syn:  {microwave},  {micro-cook},  {zap}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  nuke  /n[y]ook/  vt  [common]  1.  To  intentionally  delete  the 
  entire  contents  of  a  given  directory  or  storage  volume.  "On  Unix, 
  `rm  -r  /usr'  will  nuke  everything  in  the  usr  filesystem."  Never  used 
  for  accidental  deletion;  contrast  {blow  away}.  2.  Syn.  for  {dike}, 
  applied  to  smaller  things  such  as  files,  features,  or  code  sections. 
  Often  used  to  express  a  final  verdict.  "What  do  you  want  me  to  do  with 
  that  80-meg  {wallpaper}  file?"  "Nuke  it."  3.  Used  of  processes  as 
  well  as  files;  nuke  is  a  frequent  verbal  alias  for  `kill  -9'  on  Unix. 
  4.  On  IBM  PCs,  a  bug  that  results  in  {fandango  on  core}  can  trash  the 
  operating  system,  including  the  FAT  (the  in-core  copy  of  the  disk  block 
  chaining  information).  This  can  utterly  scramble  attached  disks,  which 
  are  then  said  to  have  been  `nuked'.  This  term  is  also  used  of  analogous 
  lossages  on  Macintoshes  and  other  micros  without  memory  protection. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  nuke 
 
  /n[y]ook/  1.  To  intentionally  delete  the  entire  contents  of  a 
  given  directory  or  storage  volume.  "On  Unix,  "rm  -r  /usr" 
  will  nuke  everything  in  the  usr  file  system."  Never  used  for 
  accidental  deletion.  Opposite:  {blow  away}. 
 
  2.  Synonym  for  {dike},  applied  to  smaller  things  such  as 
  files,  features,  or  code  sections.  Often  used  to  express  a 
  final  verdict.  "What  do  you  want  me  to  do  with  that  80-meg 
  {wallpaper}  file?"  "Nuke  it." 
 
  3.  Used  of  processes  as  well  as  files;  nuke  is  a  frequent 
  verbal  alias  for  "kill  -9"  on  Unix. 
 
  4.  On  IBM  PCs,  a  bug  that  results  in  {fandango  on  core}  can 
  trash  the  operating  system,  including  the  FAT  (the  in-core 
  copy  of  the  disk  block  chaining  information).  This  can 
  utterly  scramble  attached  disks,  which  are  then  said  to  have 
  been  "nuked".  This  term  is  also  used  of  analogous  lossages  on 
  Macintoshes  and  other  micros  without  memory  protection. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
 

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