sticky bit

noun

A fault in a digital circuit, where a signal does not change as expected, but remains always in one state.

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Meanings

nounsticky bit (plural sticky bits)

plural sticky bits

  1. businessA fault in a digital circuit, where a signal does not change as expected, but remains always in one state.
  2. computingA flag applied to an inode, formerly indicating that an executable program should be kept in memory after it terminates, but on modern systems used to determine which users can rename or delete the files in a directory.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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