Hollerith code

[ hol-uh-rith ]

noun

, Computers.

1. a system for coding data into punched cards, in which each horizontal row is assigned a different value, and letters, numbers, or special characters are encoded as combinations of these values in a vertical column.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hollerith code¹

1946; named after Herman Hollerith (1860–1929), U.S. inventor of the system