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endian

Syllabification: (end·i·an)

Pronunciation: /ˈendēən/

Definition of endian

adjective

Computing

denoting or relating to a system of ordering data in a computer’s memory whereby the most significant ( big-endian) or least significant ( little-endian) byte is put first.

Origin:

1980s: a reference to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, in which the Lilliputians were divided into two camps, those who ate their eggs by opening the 'big' end and those who ate them by opening the 'little' end