byte

Meaning

1. A short sequence of bits (binary digits) that can be operated on as a unit by a computer; the smallest usable machine word.
2. A unit of computing storage equal to eight bits, which can represent any of 256 distinct values.

Synonyms

octet

syllable

bite

block

burst

message block

Translations

Byte

octet

byte

byte

byte

byte

byte

بايت

byte

bayt

baite

byte

δυφιοσυλλαβή

δυφιοοκτάδα

Pronounced as (IPA)

/baɪt/

Etymology

An alteration of the word bite so it would not be accidentally misspelled as bit. Coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956, during the early design phase for the IBM 7030 Stretch computer.