Bitwise

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A technique that involves performing logic operations on the individual bits of binary data
2. Referring to operations that treat and modify data at the level of its individual binary digits
3. Pertaining to processes that manipulate each binary digit separately within data

Etymology: "Bitwise" is a plain compound, and its two halves tell the story. "Bit" is a contraction of "binary digit," a coinage that came from the binary number system, in which every value is written with only two symbols. The "-wise" ending is the old English suffix meaning "in the manner of" or "with respect to," as in "clockwise" or "otherwise." Put together, "bitwise" describes operating in the manner of individual bits, rather than on whole numbers or words at once. The "-wise" element has a long pedigree. It descends from a Germanic word for "manner" or "way," related to the ancestor of the English noun "wise" in its old sense of "way" or "manner," and it has been used to form adverbs and adjectives since Old English. That is why it attaches so easily to newer nouns, and why "bitwise" sits comfortably alongside older formations.

Synonyms: binary