backup

back·up

backup

n.
  1. anything kept in reserve to serve as a substitute in case of failure or unavailability of the normal or primary object; -- used for devices, plans, people, etc. Also used attributively; as, there was no backup for the electrical supply; a backup motor; a backup generator.
  2. a musician or group of musicians accompanying a soloist, whether vocalists or instrumentalists. (Music)
  3. a person or group of persons serving as reinforcement for another or others; as, the policeman called for backup when he was fired on.
  4. an accumulation, overflow, or reverse flow (in traffic or a liquid flow system) caused by a stoppage or other malfunction.
  5. A copy of a program or data from a computer onto a data-storage medium, usually one that may be removed to safe storage at a distance from the computer; it is used to preserve data for use in the contingency that the original data on the computer may be lost or become unusable. A backup that is removed from the building housing the computer system (to provide protection against loss of data in a disastrous event such as a fire) is called off-site backup. Also used attributively; as, backup copy. (Computers)
  6. The act or process of creating a backup{5}; as, they performed a full system backup every weekend. (Computers)