Demuxing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Splitting a single combined signal back into its separate original channels or data streams at the receiving end
2. Extracting individual component streams from a multiplexed transmission so each can be handled on its own
3. Separating several signals that were merged onto one carrier back into their distinct parts

Etymology: "Demuxing" is the present participle of "demux," a verb meaning to separate signals that were previously combined. The verb is formed from the prefix "de-," meaning "reverse or undo," attached to "mux," a shortened form of "multiplexer." The "mux" half is the older and more important piece: a multiplexer combines several signals onto one channel so they can share a single line, and "demux" undoes that process at the receiving end. The verb therefore describes a precise technical operation rather than a general act of separating things. The "de-" prefix carries the sense of reversal, the same as in "decode" or "defrost," so the word can be read as "undo the multiplexing." Its meaning stays tied to telecommunications and computing, where the two processes are used together.

Synonyms: demultiplexing

Antonyms: multiplexing