megabyte
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meg·a·byte
(mĕg′ə-bīt′)n. Abbr. MB
1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,048,576 (220) bytes.
2. One million bytes. See Usage Note at gigabyte.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
megabyte
(ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt)n
(Units) computing 220 or 1 048 576 bytes. Abbreviation: MB or mbyte See also mega-2
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
meg•a•byte
(ˈmɛg əˌbaɪt)n. Computers.
1. 220 (1,048,576) bytes; 1024 kilobytes.
2. 106, or one million (1,000,000), bytes; 1000 kilobytes. Abbr.: MB
[1965–70]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
meg·a·byte
(mĕg′ə-bīt′)1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 kilobytes (220 bytes).
2. One million bytes.
Usage Usually the prefix kilo- means "one thousand," and the prefix mega- means "one million." But in the calculation of data storage these prefixes have a different meaning. Data storage capacity (measured in bytes) is based on powers of 2 because of the binary nature of bits (1 byte is 8, or 23, bits). Here, the prefix mega- refers to the power of 2 closest to 1,000,000, which is 220, or 1,048,576. Thus, a megabyte is 1,048,576 bytes, although it is also used less technically to refer to a million bytes. Similarly, the prefix kilo- refers either to 1,000 or to 210 (1,024). Measuring the transmission of data is somewhat different from measuring its storage. Since a bit of transmitted data is considered as one signal pulse rather than an either/or unit, it is natural to count transmitted bits using ordinary numbers instead of the binary system. Thus a megabyte of transmitted data usually refers to a million (not 1,048,576) bits. Other prefixes for greater amounts, such as giga- and tera-, follow similar rules for data storage and transmission.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | megabyte - a unit of information equal to 1000 kilobytes or 10^6 (1,000,000) bytes computer memory unit - a unit for measuring computer memory |
| 2. |  megabyte - a unit of information equal to 1024 kibibytes or 2^20 (1,048,576) bytescomputer memory unit - a unit for measuring computer memory |
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megabyte
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