non-destructive read

noun[before a noun]1

1. •
   A read operation that does not erase the data being read in the process of reading it.

   • Although non-destructive reads are theoretically possible with FeRAM, the process - requiring illumination of the memory cells with UV light - is completely impractical for most purposes, favoring the more-practical (but destructive) method of forcing every cell to 0, seeing which cells produced a tiny current pulse, and writing back 1s to those cells.