<storage> (ROM) A type of data storage device which is manufactured with fixed contents. In its most general sense, the term might be used for any storage system whose contents cannot be altered, such as a gramophone record or a printed book however, the term is most often applied to semiconductorintegrated circuit memories, of which there are several types, and CD-ROM. ROM is inherently non-volatile storage - it retains its contents even when the power isswitched off, in contrast to RAM. ROM is often used to hold programs for embedded systemssince these usually have a fixed purpose. ROM is also used for storage of the lowest level bootstrapsoftware (firmware) in a computer. see also Programmable Read-Only Memory. (1995-05-09)