word

n 1: a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words

are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he

hardly said ten words all morning"

2: a brief statement; "he didn't say a word about it"

3: new information about specific and timely events; "they

awaited news of the outcome" [syn: {news}, {intelligence},

{tidings}]

4: the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity

(incarnate in Jesus) [syn: {Son}, {Word}, {Logos}]

5: a promise; "he gave his word" [syn: {parole}, {word of honor}]

6: a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group;

"he forgot the password" [syn: {password}, {watchword}, {parole},

{countersign}]

7: the sacred writings of the Christian religion; "he went to

carry the Word to the heathen" [syn: {Bible}, {bible}, {Good

Book}, {Holy Scripture}, {Holy Writ}, {Scripture}, {Word

of God}, {Word}]

8: an exchange of views on some topic; "we had a good

discussion"; "we had a word or two about it" [syn: {discussion},

{give-and-take}]

9: a verbal command for action; "when I give the word, charge!"

10: a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory; "large

computers use words up to 64 bits long"

v : put into words or an expression; "He formulated his concerns

to the board of trustees" [syn: {formulate}, {phrase}, {articulate}]

word

A fundamental unit of storage in a computer. The

size of a word in a particular computer architecture is one of

its chief distinguishing characteristics.

The size of a word is usually the same as the width of the

computer's {data bus} so it is possible to read or write a

word in a single operation. An instruction is usually one or

more words long and a word can be used to hold a whole number

of characters. These days, this nearly always means a whole

number of {bytes} (eight bits), most often 32 or 64 bits. In

the past when six bit {character sets} were used, a word might

be a multiple of six bits, e.g. 24 bits (four characters) in

the {ICL 1900} series.

(1994-11-11)