word

storage 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)