binary

[ bahy-nuh-ree, -ner-ee ]
See synonyms for: binarybinaries on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. consisting of, indicating, or involving two.

  2. Mathematics.

    • of or relating to a system of numerical notation to the base 2, in which each place of a number, expressed as 0 or 1, corresponds to a power of 2. The decimal number 58 appears as 111010 in binary notation, since 58 = 1 × 25 + 1 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 0 × 22 + 1 × 21 + 0 × 20.

    • of or relating to the digits or numbers used in binary notation.

    • of or relating to a binary system.

    • (of an operation) assigning a third quantity to two given quantities, as in the addition of two numbers.

  1. Computers. of, relating to, or written in binary code; programmed or encoded using only the digits 0 and 1: All executable programs on the computer are stored in binary files.

  2. Chemistry. noting a compound containing only two elements or groups, as sodium chloride, methyl bromide, or methyl hydroxide.

  3. Metallurgy. (of an alloy) having two principal constituents.

noun,plural bi·na·ries.
  1. a whole composed of two.

  2. Mathematics. a system of numerical notation to the base 2, in which each place of a number, expressed as 0 or 1, corresponds to a power of 2: to convert decimal to binary.

  1. Also called binary number .Mathematics. a number expressed in the binary system of notation.

  2. Computers. binary code.

  3. Computers. an executable file stored in binary format.

  4. Astronomy. binary star.

Origin of binary

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin bīnārius, equivalent to bīn(ī) (see bin-) + -ārius -ary

Words that may be confused with binary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use binary in a sentence

  • The bright star Capella is an excellent illustration of these spectroscopic binaries.

    A Text-Book of Astronomy | George C. Comstock
  • The pale binaries sat stolidly on the horizon, forty degrees apart.

    Faithfully Yours | Lou Tabakow
  • Most of the spectroscopic binaries appear to be upon a smaller scale than the telescopic ones.

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage
  • In observations of spectroscopic binaries we do not always get a double spectrum.

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage
  • We find in practice that the parent colours do not, with material colours, produce the theoretical binaries.

    Art Principles | Ernest Govett

British Dictionary definitions for binary

binary

/ (ˈbaɪnərɪ) /


adjective
  1. composed of, relating to, or involving two; dual

  2. maths computing of, relating to, or expressed in binary notation or binary code

  1. (of a compound or molecule) containing atoms of two different elements

  2. metallurgy (of an alloy) consisting of two components or phases

  3. (of an educational system) consisting of two parallel forms of education such as the grammar school and the secondary modern in Britain

  4. maths logic (of a relation, expression, or operation) applying to two elements of its domain; having two argument places; dyadic

nounplural -ries
  1. something composed of two parts or things

  2. astronomy See binary star

  1. short for binary weapon

Origin of binary

1
C16: from Late Latin bīnārius; see bin-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for binary

binary

[ nə-rē ]


  1. Having two parts.

  2. Mathematics Based on the number 2 or the binary number system.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for binary

binary

[ (beye-nuh-ree, beye-ner-ee) ]


Anything composed of two parts. In modern computers, information is stored in banks of components that act like switches. Since switches can be either on or off, they have a binary character, and we say that the computer uses “binary arithmetic” to do its work.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.