word
A group of bits that can be addressed, transferred and manipulated as a single unit by the central processor. The size of a word, the word length, is determined by the width of the data pathways within the computer and is usually larger than a byte, possibly consisting of 16, 24, 36 or even 64 bits. Large word sizes mean that a computer can transfer data in larger groups than a computer with a smaller word size, and this generally means faster operation.