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In computing, to "mount" a device means to make a storage device, like a hard drive or USB drive, accessible to the operating system through the file system. This process makes the device's files and directories available for a user to access, while "unmounting" is the reverse process of making the device inaccessible.

To mount: The operating system connects a storage device to a specific location in the file system tree, making its contents visible and usable. For example, when you plug in a USB drive and it appears in your file explorer, it has been mounted.

To unmount: This is the opposite process. Before disconnecting a device, you "unmount" it to safely remove the connection, ensuring all data is written and the device can be removed without corruption.

Purpose: Mounting is essential for a computer to use any storage medium, from internal drives to external ones, optical disks, or network shares.

Analogy: Think of it like putting a file folder (the storage device) into a filing cabinet (the file system) so you can find the files inside. Unmounting is taking the folder back out.