bi·na·ry

[bahy-nuh-ree, -ner-ee] adjective, noun, plural bi·na·ries.
adjective
1.
consisting of, indicating, or involving two.
2.
Mathematics.
a.
of or pertaining to a system of numerical notation to the base 2, in which each place of a number, expressed as 0 or 1, corresponds to a power of 2. The decimal number 58 appears as 111010 in binary notation, since 58 = 1 × 2 5 + 1 × 2 4 + 1 × 2 3 + 0 × 2 2 + 1 × 2 1 + 0 × 2 0 .
b.
of or pertaining to the digits or numbers used in binary notation.
c.
of or pertaining to a binary system.
d.
(of an operation) assigning a third quantity to two given quantities, as in the addition of two numbers.
3.
Chemistry. noting a compound containing only two elements or groups, as sodium chloride, methyl bromide, or methyl hydroxide.
4.
Metallurgy. (of an alloy) having two principal constituents.
noun
5.
a whole composed of two.
6.
Astronomy, binary star.
7.
Also called binary number. Mathematics. a number expressed in the binary system of notation.
00:10
Binary is always a great word to know.
So is alcohol. Does it mean:
of, pertaining to, or tending to develop into icelike crystals: glacial phosphoric acid
any of a class of chemical compounds having the general formula ROH, where R represents an alkyl group and ?OH a hydroxyl group
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin bīnārius, equivalent to bīn(ī) (see bin-) + -ārius -ary

Can be confused: binary, bindery.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
binary (ˈbaɪnərɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  composed of, relating to, or involving two; dual
2.  maths, computing of, relating to, or expressed in binary notation or binary code
3.  (of a compound or molecule) containing atoms of two different elements
4.  metallurgy (of an alloy) consisting of two components or phases
5.  (of an educational system) consisting of two parallel forms of education such as the grammar school and the secondary modern in Britain
6.  maths, logic (of a relation, expression, or operation) applying to two elements of its domain; having two argument places; dyadic
 
—n , -ries
7.  something composed of two parts or things
8.  astronomy See binary star
9.  short for binary weapon
 
[C16: from Late Latin bīnārius; see bin-]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

binary
mid-15c., from L.L. binarius "consisting of two," from bini "twofold, two apiece, two-by-two," from bis "double" (see bis-). Binary code in computer terminology was in use by 1952, though the idea itself is ancient. Binary star in astronomy is from 1802.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

binary bi·na·ry (bī'nə-rē)
adj.

  1. Characterized by or consisting of two parts or components; twofold.

  2. Consisting of or containing only molecules having two kinds of atoms.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
binary   (bī'nə-rē)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Having two parts.

  2. Mathematics Based on the number 2 or the binary number system.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
binary [(beye-nuh-ree, beye-ner-ee)]

Anything composed of two parts. In modern computers, information is stored in banks of components that act like switches. Since switches can be either on or off, they have a binary character, and we say that the computer uses “binary arithmetic” to do its work.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

binary definition


1. Base two. A number representation consisting of zeros and ones used by practically all computers because of its ease of implementation using digital electronics and Boolean algebra.
2. binary file.
3. A description of an operator which takes two arguments. See also unary, ternary.
(2005-02-21)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Example sentences
Faith is not so much a binary pole as a quantum state, which tends to
  indeterminacy when closely examined.
The idea that prejudice is a binary phenomenon is based on a misunderstanding
  of how minds operate.
Even the infinitesimally small and nutty realm of the quantum can't escape this
  sort of binary logic.
At its most fundamental, information is a binary choice.
Image for binary
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