[bit] 
noun, verb, bit⋅ted, bit⋅ting.| 1. | Machinery.
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| 2. | the mouthpiece of a bridle, having fittings at each end to which the reins are fastened. |
| 3. | anything that curbs or restrains. |
| 4. | the blade or iron of a carpenter's plane. |
| 5. | the cutting part of an ax or hatchet. |
| 6. | the wide portion at the end of an ordinary key that moves the bolt. |
| 7. | to put a bit in the mouth of (a horse). |
| 8. | to curb or restrain with, or as with, a bit. |
| 9. | to grind a bit on (a key). |
| 10. | take the bit in or between one's teeth, to cast off control; willfully go one's own way: He took the bit in his teeth and acted against his parents' wishes. |
The smallest unit of information. One bit corresponds to a “yes” or “no.” Some examples of a bit of information: whether a light is on or off, whether a switch (like a transistor) is on or off, whether a grain of magnetized iron points up or down.
Note: The information in a digital computer is stored in the form of bits.
bit
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| bit (bĭt) Pronunciation Key
The smallest unit of computer memory. A bit holds one of two possible values, either of the binary digits 0 or 1. The term comes from the phrase binary digit. See Note at byte. |
