Capable of being used to start up or initialize a computer or device by loading an operating system.
'Boot' in computing comes from 'bootstrap' (a self-starting process), which itself derives from the phrase 'pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps.' The suffix '-able' means 'capable of being.' This computing term emerged in the 1980s.
A 'bootable' USB drive literally boots up a computer like pulling on a boot pulls up your pant leg—it's metaphorical! Computer scientists got creative with 'bootstrap' and 'boot' to describe a machine starting itself with minimal help.
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