See Also:

bit(3) (iou)



bit noun3. M20.
[Abbreviation of binary digit (see BINARY adjective), after BIT noun2 & adjective.]
Chiefly Computing. A unit of information expressed as a choice between two equally probable alternatives (represented by the values 0 and 1).
parity bit: see PARITY noun1 3c.
Comb.: bitmap noun & verb (a) noun a representation in which each item is shown by one or more bits of information; esp. a display of the contents of a memory store; (b) verb trans. provide with or represent by a bitmap; bit rate the number of bits per second that can be transmitted along a digital network; bit stream (a) a stream of data in binary form; (b) (Bitstream) (proprietary name for) a system of digital-to-analogue signal conversion used in some audio CD players, in which the signal from the CD is digitally processed to give a signal at a higher frequency before being converted to an analogue signal; bit string a sequence of bits representing a character.
bitwise adjective designating an operator in a programming language which manipulates the individual bits in a byte or word L20.