bucky bit

noun

A bit (binary digit) in the binary representation of a text character that is set by means of a modifier key on the keyboard, allowing numerous characters to be produced by different combinations of keypresses.

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Meanings

nounbucky bit (plural bucky bits)

plural bucky bits

  1. computingA bit (binary digit) in the binary representation of a text character that is set by means of a modifier key on the keyboard, allowing numerous characters to be produced by different combinations of keypresses.

Origin

The term was invented at Stanford and is based on Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth's nickname of Bucky. Wirth suggested this keyboard feature in the mid-1960s.

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Cite this entry
APA

bucky bit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bucky%20bit

MLA

“bucky bit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bucky%20bit. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bucky bit,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bucky%20bit.

Source: bucky bit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.