Bit (computing)
Etymology
A contraction of "binary digit," the coinage credited to statistician John Tukey and popularized by Claude Shannon in his 1948 paper founding information theory. Shannon showed that any information could be measured in bits — the number of yes/no answers needed to pin it down. The word’s brevity mirrors its meaning: the least you can possibly say.
The everyday "bit" — a small piece — is a separate root, from Old English "bita," a bite or morsel.
noun · /BIT/
The smallest unit of digital information — a single yes-or-no, one-or-zero choice.
What it names
The atom of the digital world: every image, song, and message is ultimately a long string of these two-way switches.
Example
A single bit can’t hold much, but eight of them together can encode any letter.
Related idea
A bit is smaller than a byte: a byte is a bundle of eight bits, the standard chunk used to represent one character, so file sizes are quoted in bytes while connection speeds are quoted in bits.
noun · /BIT/
A small amount or piece of something; a short while.
What it names
a morsel, a fragment, a moment.
Example
Wait a bit — I need a bit of help.
Related idea
The everyday quantity, unrelated to the computing unit.
noun · /BIT/
A tool’s cutting head, or the metal mouthpiece of a horse’s bridle.
What it names
a drill bit, or the bar a horse holds in its mouth.
Example
He fitted a wider bit into the drill.
Related idea
Also from "bite" — the part that bites into wood, or into the horse’s mouth.
See also