punch card

punch card (plural punch cards)

1. A card that can have holes or notches cut in it, especially one for storing data, that can be sorted according to combinations of holes present or absent.
   1. (computing, historical) Such a card, the size of a US dollar bill and having 80 columns of 12 rows, used in early mainframe computers.
2. A card given to a customer and punched with a hole at each purchase, allowing a reward to be claimed when fully punched.

• Sometimes the blank card was called a punch card, and became a punched card only after holes had been punched in it.
• Also see punched tape and paper tape.

• (card with holes or notches): index card, punched card
• (card used in early mainframe computers): punched card, Hollerith card

• multipunch

• card punch, cardpunch