Huffman coding

noun

An entropy-encoding algorithm used for lossless data compression, involving a variable-length code table derived from the estimated probability of occurrence of each symbol (so that more frequent symbols take less space to store).

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Meanings

nounHuffman coding (countable and uncountable, plural Huffman codings)

plural Huffman codings

  1. countableuncountablecomputerAn entropy-encoding algorithm used for lossless data compression, involving a variable-length code table derived from the estimated probability of occurrence of each symbol (so that more frequent symbols take less space to store).

    In Huffman coding, shorter code-words are assigned to more frequent symbols so that the average code-length is reduced.

    2018, Keshab K. Parhi, Takao Nishitami, editors, Digital Signal Processing for Multimedia Systems, CRC Press, →ISBN

Origin

Named after its inventor David A. Huffman (1925–1999).

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Translations

Bulgarian Хъфманово кодиране
  • Хъфманово кодиране (Hăfmanovo kodirane)encoding algorithm
Cite this entry
APA

Huffman coding. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huffman%20coding

MLA

“Huffman coding.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huffman%20coding. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Huffman coding,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huffman%20coding.

Source: Huffman coding on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.