# hexadecimal

Pronunciation: say "hek-suh-DES-i-muhl" /ˌhɛksəˈdɛsɪməl/

## Adjective

1. Of a number, written in base sixteen, using the digits 0–9 and the letters A–F.
   - Simple: Of a number, written with the sixteen digits 0 to 9 and A to F.
   - _The error codes in the log are hexadecimal, so 0x1A means twenty-six._
   - _The debugger displays every memory address as a hexadecimal value._

## Noun

2. A base-sixteen number system using the digits 0–9 and letters A–F, used mostly in computing because each digit stands for four bits, so two digits encode one byte.
   - Simple: A way of writing numbers with sixteen digits, 0 to 9 and A to F, often used with computers.
   - _Programmers often write memory addresses in hexadecimal because it maps neatly onto binary._
   - _Converting from binary to hexadecimal is simple: each group of four bits becomes one digit._
3. A number written in base sixteen, with the digits 0–9 and the letters A–F.
   - Simple: A number written with the sixteen digits 0 to 9 and A to F.
   - _The device's serial number is printed on the back as a hexadecimal._
   - _The script reads a list of hexadecimals and converts each one to decimal._

## Origin

Formed from hexadeca- + decimal, dating from 1952.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hexadecimal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).