A group of eight bits, which is a common unit of information used by digital computers. A single byte, sometimes referred to as an eight-bit “word,” can represent any one of 256 different values, since each bit can represent one of two values, and 2 taken to the power of 8 equals 256. Most computer users are familiar with the use of “byte,” since it is the unit used to measure the amount of information stored in a computer file. Thus, a file containing 135Kb (kilobytes) would likely contain 135,000 characters, since each letter, space, or punctuation mark in a text file typically occupies one byte. A much less commonly used term is the “nybble,” which is four bits, or half a byte.
Computer terminology describing a group of neighbouring bits, usually four, six or eight, working as a unit for the storage and manipulation of data in a computer.