byte
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byte
adjacent bits processed by a computer
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
byte
(bīt)n.
1. A unit of data equal to eight bits. Computer memory is often expressed in megabytes or gigabytes.
2. A set of bits constituting the smallest unit of addressable memory in a given computer, typically eight bits.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
byte
(baɪt)n
1. (Communications & Information) a group of bits, usually eight, processed as a single unit of data
2. (Communications & Information) the storage space in a memory or other storage device that is allocated to such a group of bits
3. (Linguistics) a subdivision of a word
[C20: probably a blend of bit4 + bite]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
byte
(baɪt)n.
a group of adjacent bits, usu. eight, processed by a computer as a unit.
[1959; orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
byte
(bīt) A sequence of adjacent bits operated on as a unit by a computer. A byte usually consists of eight bits. Amounts of computer memory are often expressed in terms of megabytes (1,048,576 bytes) or gigabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes).
Usage The word bit is short for binary digit. A bit consists of one of two values, usually 0 or 1. Computers use bits because their system of counting is based on two options: switches on a microchip that are either on or off. Thus, a computer counts to seven in bits as follows: 0, 1, 10 [2], 11 [3], 100 [4], 101 [5], 110 [6], 111 [7]. Notice that the higher you count, the more adjacent bits you need to represent the number. For example, it requires two adjacent bits to count from 0 to 3, and it takes three adjacent bits to count from 0 to 7. A sequence of bits can represent not just numbers, but other kinds of data, such as the letters and symbols on a keyboard. The sequence of 0s and 1s that make up data are usually counted in groups of 8, and these groups of 8 bits are called bytes. The word byte is short for binary digit eight. To transmit one keystroke on a typical keyboard requires one byte of information (or 8 bits). To transmit the three-letter word the requires three bytes of information (or 24 bits).
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
byte
A unit of eight bits. Computer memories are measured in terms of thousands of bytes.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | byte - a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information computer memory unit - a unit for measuring computer memory bit - a unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states; "there are 8 bits in a byte" word - a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory; "large computers use words up to 64 bits long" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
بايْت
byte
byte
tavu
bajt
byte
tölvustafur
baitas
baits
bajt
bytejednotka pamäte počítača
bajt
byte
baytbytesekizli
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
byte
n (Comput) → Byte nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
byte
(bait) noun a unit of memory in a computer equal to eight bits.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.