# byte
## English
### Etymology

An alteration of the word bite so it would not be accidentally misspelled as bit. Coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956, during the early design phase for the IBM 7030 Stretch computer.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /baɪt/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪt
* Homophones: bight, bite, by't

### Noun

byte (plural bytes)
* (computing) A short sequence of bits (binary digits) that can be operated on as a unit by a computer; the smallest usable machine word.
* (computing, most commonly) A unit of computing storage equal to eight bits, which can represent any of 256 distinct values.
    Synonyms: B, octet
    The word “hello” fits into five bytes of ASCII code.
** 1984, Neil Ardley, “The ZX Spectrum+ Memory Map”, Learn About Your ZX Spectrum+ (3), in Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ User Guide, Dorling Kindersley, →ISBN, page 48:If you look at the photograph of the interior of the Spectrum […], you will see that there is one ROM chip, and 16 smaller RAM chips. These chips give the Spectrum its memory. The memory consists of 65536 storage units that each contain one byte (a number from 0 to 255).
** 2008, Eric Johnson, Joshua Jones, A Developer's Guide to Data Modeling for SQL Server:With a varchar, the storage is always the actual number of characters you have stored plus 2 bytes. So a varchar(20) with a 5-character word will take up 7 bytes, with the extra 2 bytes holding a size reference for SQL Server.

#### Coordinate terms

(machine word):
* Previous: nibble, nybble
* Next: word
(unit of storage):
* Previous: bit
* Next: kilobyte

#### Derived terms

(unit of storage):
* brontobyte
* bytecode
* byte order
* byter
* bytesexual
* bytestring
* bytewise
* exabyte
* exbibyte
* geopbyte
* gibibyte
* gigabyte
* hellabyte
* interbyte
* kibibyte
* kilobyte
* mebibyte
* megabyte
* multibyte
* nonbyte
* pebibyte
* petabyte
* qubibyte
* qubyte
* quebibyte
* queccabyte
* quettabyte
* robibyte
* ronnabyte
* tebibyte
* terabyte
* tryte
* yobibyte
* yottabyte
* zebibyte
* zettabyte
* byte code
* byte order mark
* byte-order mark
* least significant byte
* most significant byte
* multi-byte

#### Translations
### See also

* word, doubleword, longword, char

### References

* ↑ Werner Buchholz (1977 February) “The Word “Byte” Comes Of Age”, in Byte Magazine‎, volume 2, number 2, page 144: “A byte was described as consisting of any number of parallel bits from one to six. Thus a byte was assumed to have a length appropriate for the occasion.”
* ↑ “Timeline Of The IBM Stretch/Harvest Era (1956–1961)”, in Computer History Museum‎, (Can we date this quote?), archived from the original on 2011-06-11
* ↑ “Definition of 'Byte'”, in The Jargon File‎, 2003, archived from the original on 1 July 2003

### Further reading

* byte on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* beyt

## Basque
### Etymology

From English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bai̯t/ [bai̯t̪]
* Rhymes: -ai̯t

### Noun

byte inan
* (computing) byte

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “byte”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

## Czech
### Etymology 1
#### Alternative forms

* bajt

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈbajt]

#### Noun

byte m inan
* byte

##### Derived terms

* gigabyte
* kilobyte
* megabyte
* terabyte

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈbɪtɛ]
* Homophone: bite

#### Noun

byte
* vocative singular of byt

### Further reading

* “byte”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
* byte in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz

## Finnish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbyte/, [ˈbyt̪e̞]
* Rhymes: -yte
* Hyphenation: by‧te

### Noun

byte (rare, slang)
* byte

#### Declension

Possessive forms of byte (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
byteni
byteni
accusative
nom.
byteni
byteni
gen.
byteni
genitive
byteni
bytejeni byteini $^{rare}$
partitive
byteäni
bytejäni
inessive
bytessäni
byteissäni
elative
bytestäni
byteistäni
illative
byteeni
byteihini
adessive
bytelläni
byteilläni
ablative
byteltäni
byteiltäni
allative
bytelleni
byteilleni
essive
bytenäni
byteinäni
translative
bytekseni
byteikseni
abessive
bytettäni
byteittäni
instructive
comitative
—byteineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bytesi
bytesi
accusative
nom.
bytesi
bytesi
gen.
bytesi
genitive
bytesi
bytejesi byteisi $^{rare}$
partitive
byteäsi
bytejäsi
inessive
bytessäsi
byteissäsi
elative
bytestäsi
byteistäsi
illative
byteesi
byteihisi
adessive
bytelläsi
byteilläsi
ablative
byteltäsi
byteiltäsi
allative
bytellesi
byteillesi
essive
bytenäsi
byteinäsi
translative
byteksesi
byteiksesi
abessive
bytettäsi
byteittäsi
instructive
comitative
—byteinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bytemme
bytemme
accusative
nom.
bytemme
bytemme
gen.
bytemme
genitive
bytemme
bytejemme byteimme $^{rare}$
partitive
byteämme
bytejämme
inessive
bytessämme
byteissämme
elative
bytestämme
byteistämme
illative
byteemme
byteihimme
adessive
bytellämme
byteillämme
ablative
byteltämme
byteiltämme
allative
bytellemme
byteillemme
essive
bytenämme
byteinämme
translative
byteksemme
byteiksemme
abessive
bytettämme
byteittämme
instructive
comitative
—byteinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bytenne
bytenne
accusative
nom.
bytenne
bytenne
gen.
bytenne
genitive
bytenne
bytejenne byteinne $^{rare}$
partitive
byteänne
bytejänne
inessive
bytessänne
byteissänne
elative
bytestänne
byteistänne
illative
byteenne
byteihinne
adessive
bytellänne
byteillänne
ablative
byteltänne
byteiltänne
allative
bytellenne
byteillenne
essive
bytenänne
byteinänne
translative
byteksenne
byteiksenne
abessive
bytettänne
byteittänne
instructive
comitative
—byteinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bytensä
bytensä
accusative
nom.
bytensä
bytensä
gen.
bytensä
genitive
bytensä
bytejensä byteinsä $^{rare}$
partitive
byteään byteänsä
bytejään bytejänsä
inessive
bytessään bytessänsä
byteissään byteissänsä
elative
bytestään bytestänsä
byteistään byteistänsä
illative
byteensä
byteihinsä
adessive
bytellään bytellänsä
byteillään byteillänsä
ablative
byteltään byteltänsä
byteiltään byteiltänsä
allative
bytelleen bytellensä
byteilleen byteillensä
essive
bytenään bytenänsä
byteinään byteinänsä
translative
bytekseen byteksensä
byteikseen byteiksensä
abessive
bytettään bytettänsä
byteittään byteittänsä
instructive
comitative
—byteineen byteinensä :

#### Synonyms

* tavu

### Further reading

* “byte”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## Hungarian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈbaːjt]
* Hyphenation: byte
* Rhymes: -aːjt
* Homophone: bájt

### Noun

byte (plural byte-ok)
* (computing) byte (a unit of computing storage equal to eight bits)

#### Usage notes

It also occurs in the form bájt (along with its prefixed forms), but this spelling is not supported by most authoritative spelling dictionaries.

#### Declension
### References

* ↑ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

### Further reading

* byte in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).
* Biró, János. Helyesírási kérdések A magyar nyelv nagyszótárának írása közben (“Questions of spelling while compiling the Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”) (see page 5 in the PDF, page 55 in the original)

## Italian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈba.it/
* Rhymes: -ait

### Noun

byte m (invariable)
* (computing) byte
    Synonym: bicarattere

### References

* ↑ byte in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Middle English
### Verb

byte
* Alternative form of biten

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* baite

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈbajt(ʃ)(i)/

### Noun

byte m (plural bytes)
* (computing) byte (unit equivalent to 8 bits)

#### Synonyms

* Abbreviations: B

#### Coordinate terms

* Multiples: kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, petabyte, exabyte, zettabyte, yottabyte

#### Related terms

* bit

## Romanian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbajt/

### Noun

byte m (plural byți)
* (computing) byte
    Synonym: octet

#### Declension
## Slovak
### Alternative forms

* bajt

### Noun

byte m inan
* byte

### Further reading

* “byte”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English byte.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbait/ [ˈbai̯t̪]
* Rhymes: -ait

### Noun

byte m (plural bytes)
* byte

### Further reading

* “byte”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology 1

Related to byta (“to change, to exchange, to swap”)

#### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /ˈbyːtɛ/

#### Noun

byte n
* a change; changing (replacing)
    byte av olja i bilenchanging the oil in the car(literally, “change of oil in the car”)
    däckbytetire change
** an exchange; a trade
    Jag ger dig en grej och får en annan grej i retur. Det är ett byte.I give you one thing and get another thing in return. That's an exchange.
* a prey
    Vargen tog ett byteThe wolf caught a prey
    Han var ett lätt byteHe was an easy prey
* a catch, a plunder, a loot
    piraternas stora bytethe pirates' big loot

##### Declension
#### See also

* fångst (“catch”)

### Etymology 2

Unadapted borrowing from English byte.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bajt/, /baɪt/

#### Noun

byte c
* a byte (8 bits, in computers)

##### Declension
### References

* byte in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* byte in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* byte in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)