byte

A fundamental unit of computer storage; the smallest addressable unit in a computer's architecture. Usually holds one character of information and, today, usually means eight bits. (Compare: octet.)

Usage: Understood to be larger than a "bit", but smaller than a "word". Although "byte" almost always means "octet" today, some computer architectures have had bytes in other sizes (e.g., six bits, nine bits). Therefore, an STD SHOULD state the number of bits in a byte where the term is first used in the STD.