Burrows-Wheeler transform

noun

An algorithm used in data compression that rearranges a character string into runs of similar characters.

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Meanings

nounBurrows-Wheeler transform (plural Burrows-Wheeler transforms)

plural Burrows-Wheeler transforms

  1. computerAn algorithm used in data compression that rearranges a character string into runs of similar characters.

Origin

Invented by Michael Burrows and David Wheeler in 1994.

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Cite this entry
APA

Burrows-Wheeler transform. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Burrows-Wheeler%20transform

MLA

“Burrows-Wheeler transform.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Burrows-Wheeler%20transform. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Burrows-Wheeler transform,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Burrows-Wheeler%20transform.

Source: Burrows-Wheeler transform on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.