little-endian

data, architecture A computer architecture in which, within

a given 16- or 32-bit word, bytes at lower addresses have

lower significance (the word is stored "little-end-first").

The PDP-11 and VAX families of computers and Intel

microprocessors and a lot of communications and networking

hardware are little-endian.

The term is sometimes used to describe the ordering of units

other than bytes; most often, bits within a byte.

Compare big-endian, middle-endian. See NUXI problem.

[Jargon File]

(1995-08-16)