binary

/ˈbaɪnɛri/

/ˈbaɪnɛri/

Other forms: binaries

Something that can be broken into two categories is binary. Binary means something close to dual or double.

You can remember what binary means if you know that bi- means two. Black and white are often set up as a binary, as are light and dark and good and evil. One binary we see all the time is the male and female symbols you see on bathroom doors. In computing, binary is a code of zeros and ones (computer programming) also known as base two. A binary is also a double star — two stars revolving around each other.

Definitions of binary

1. adjective

   of or pertaining to a number system having 2 as its base
   “a binary digit”
2. adjective

   consisting of two (units or components or elements or terms)
   “a binary star is a system in which two stars revolve around each other”

   “a binary compound”

   “the binary number system has two as its base”

   synonyms:

   multiple

   having or involving or consisting of more than one part or entity or individual
3. noun

   a system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation
   synonyms: binary star, double star

   examples:

   Aldebaran

   the brightest star in Taurus

   Algol

   the second brightest star in Perseus; the first known eclipsing binary

   Alpha Centauri

   brightest star in Centaurus; second nearest star to the sun

   Altair

   double star 15.7 light years from Earth; the brightest star in the Aquila constellation

   Antares

   the brightest star in Scorpius

   Epsilon Aurigae

   the largest known star

   Procyon

   the brightest star in Canis Minor

   Beta Orionis

   the brightest star in Orion

   Canicula

   the brightest star in the sky; in Canis Major

   Vega

   the brightest star in the constellation Lyra

   type of:

   star

   (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
4. noun

   a pre-compiled, pre-linked program that is ready to run under a given operating system; a binary for one operating system will not run on a different operating system
   “the same source code can be compiled to produce different binaries for different operating systems”

   synonyms: binary program

   type of:

   computer program, computer programme, program, programme

   (computer science) a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute