wordy

adj 1: use of more words than required to express an idea; "a wordy

gossipy account of a simple incident"; "a redundant

text crammed with amplifications of the obvious" [syn:

{redundant}]

2: using or containing too many words; "long-winded (or windy)

speakers"; "verbose and ineffective instructional

methods"; "newspapers of the day printed long wordy

editorials"; "proceedings were delayed by wordy disputes"

[syn: {long-winded}, {tedious}, {verbose}, {windy}]

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)