binary

[ bahy-nuh-ree, -ner-ee ]
/ ˈbaɪ nə ri, -nɛr i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR binary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun, plural bi·na·ries.

Origin of binary

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin bīnārius, equivalent to bīn(ī) (see bin-) + -ārius -ary

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH binary

binary bindery

Words nearby binary

bin laden, osama, bin liner, bin-, binal, binarity, binary, binary cell, binary code, binary coded decimal, binary color, binary digit

Words related to binaries

pair, double, couple, team, binary, span, duplicity, dichotomy, twin, duet, brace, duality, bifurcation, twain, twins, dos, deuce, dyad, doublet, dual

Example sentences from the Web for binaries

  • Great numbers of binaries of this type have since then been discovered, all of short period.

    History of Astronomy |George Forbes

  • A very large proportion of stars are binaries—two suns revolve round their common centre of gravity.

    Are the Planets Inhabited? |E. Walter Maunder

British Dictionary definitions for binaries

binary
/ (ˈbaɪnərɪ) /

adjective

noun plural -ries

Word Origin for binary

C16: from Late Latin bīnārius; see bin-

Medical definitions for binaries

binary
[ bī′nə-rē ]

adj.

Characterized by or consisting of two parts or components; twofold.
Consisting of or containing only molecules having two kinds of atoms.

Scientific definitions for binaries

binary
[ bī′nə-rē ]

Having two parts.
Mathematics Based on the number 2 or the binary number system.

Cultural definitions for binaries

binary
[ (beye-nuh-ree, beye-ner-ee) ]

Anything composed of two parts. In modern computers, information is stored in banks of components that act like switches. Since switches can be either on or off, they have a binary character, and we say that the computer uses “binary arithmetic” to do its work.