In its first meaning, a dongle is a small gadget you must plug into a computer before a particular program will run. It is a physical key: the software looks for it, and if it is not there, the program stays locked.

In its first meaning在它最原始的意思裡, a dongle is a small gadgeta dongle是個小裝置 you must plug into a computer你得把它插進電腦 before a particular program will run某個特定程式才會跑得起來. It is a physical key它就是一把實體的鑰匙: the software looks for it軟體會去找它, and if it is not there如果找不到, the program stays locked程式就會保持鎖住

The word is informal, from the computer world, and a little dated in this strict sense — you meet it in offices that still use old paid software, and in explanations of how copy-protection used to work. People now stretch dongle to almost any small USB extra that sticks out of a laptop: a wifi stick, a video adapter, and so on. That looser use is common; the sense you are studying is the software-key one.

The word is informal, from the computer world這個字很口語，來自電腦圈, and a little dated in this strict sense在這個嚴格的意思上也有點過時了 — you meet it in offices that still use old paid software你會在還在用老付費軟體的辦公室裡遇到它, and in explanations of how copy-protection used to work也會在解釋以前防拷保護怎麼運作時遇到它. People now stretch dongle to almost any small USB extra that sticks out of a laptop現在大家把dongle延伸用在幾乎任何插在筆電上的小型USB配件: a wifi stick, a video adapter, and so onwifi接收器、視訊轉接頭之類的. That looser use is common這個比較鬆的用法很常見; the sense you are studying is the software-key one你現在在學的是軟體鑰匙這個意思

It is not a memory stick, which stores files.

It is not a memory stick它不是隨身碟, which stores files那個是用來存檔案的

Nobody is sure where the word came from. It most likely grew out of dangle, because the thing often hangs off the machine on a short lead. An advertisement once pretended it came from a man named Don Gall; that story was made up.

Nobody is sure where the word came from沒有人很確定這個字是哪裡來的. It most likely grew out of dangle它最可能是從dangle這個字長出來的, because the thing often hangs off the machine on a short lead因為這個東西常常用一小段線掛在機器上. An advertisement once pretended it came from a man named Don Gall曾經有一個廣告假裝它是從一個叫Don Gall的人那裡來的; that story was made up那個故事是編出來的

The word starts appearing around 1980–1985.

The word starts appearing around 1980–1985這個字大約在1980到1985年間開始出現