Byte: meaning, definitions and examples

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byte

[ baɪt ]

^{Context #1}

computing

A unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits, representing a single character.

Synonyms

bit, octet

Examples of usage

The text file is 500 megabytes in size.
The image is stored in a binary format using bytes.

^{Context #2}

computing

A sequence of adjacent bits operated on as a unit by a computer; a group of bits that can be transmitted or processed together.

Synonyms

block, word

Examples of usage

The data is transferred in 64-byte blocks.
The program reads the file byte by byte.

^{Context #3}

computing

To transmit or store (data) in the form of bytes.

Synonyms

encode, transmit

Examples of usage

The file needs to be byte-compiled before execution.
The data is byte-encoded for security reasons.

Translations

Translations of the word "byte" in other languages:

🇵🇹 byte

🇮🇳 बाइट

🇩🇪 Byte

🇮🇩 byte

🇺🇦 байт

🇵🇱 bajt

🇯🇵 バイト

🇫🇷 octet

🇪🇸 byte

🇹🇷 bayt

🇰🇷 바이트

🇸🇦 بايت

🇨🇿 bajt

🇸🇰 bajt

🇨🇳 字节

🇸🇮 bajt

🇮🇸 bæti

🇰🇿 байт

🇬🇪 ბაიტი

🇦🇿 bayt

🇲🇽 byte

Word origin

The term 'byte' originated as a contraction of 'by eight', referring to the eight bits that make up a byte. It was first coined by Dr. Werner Buchholz in 1956 when working for IBM. Bytes are fundamental units of information in computing, and their standardization has played a crucial role in the development of digital technologies.