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endian

Pronunciation: /ˈɛndɪən/

Definition of endian

adjective

(usually in phrase big-endian or little-endian) Computing

denoting or relating to a system of ordering bytes in a word, or bits in a byte, in which the most significant (or least significant) item is put first: big-endian vs. little-endian representation of data a lot of communications and networking hardware is little-endian

Origin:

1980s: from Swift's Gulliver's Travels, in which big-endians and little-endians ate boiled eggs by breaking the ‘big’ end or ‘little’ end respectively