nimble

adj 1: moving quickly and lightly; "sleek and agile as a gymnast";

"as nimble as a deer"; "nimble fingers"; "quick of

foot"; "the old dog was so spry it was halfway up the

stairs before we could stop it" [syn: {agile}, {quick},

{spry}]

2: mentally quick; "an agile mind"; "nimble wits" [syn: {agile}]

nibble

/nib'l/ (US "nybble", by analogy with "bite" -> "byte")

Half a {byte}. Since a byte is nearly always eight {bits}, a

nibble is nearly always four bits (and can therefore be

represented by one {hex} digit).

Other size nibbles have existed, for example the {BBC

Microcomputer} disk file system used eleven bit sector numbers

which were described as one byte (eight bits) and a nibble

(three bits).

Compare {crumb}, {tayste}, {dynner}; see also {bit}, {nickle},

{deckle}.

The spelling "nybble" is uncommon in {Commonwealth Hackish} as

British orthography suggests the pronunciation /ni:'bl/.

(1997-12-03)