16 bit
Using {words} containing sixteen
{bits}. This adjective often refers to the number of bits
used internally by a computer's {CPU}. E.g. "The {Intel 8086}
is a sixteen bit processor". Its external {data bus} or
{address bus} may be narrower. The term may also refer to the
size of an instruction in the computer's {instruction set} or
to any other item of data.
See also {16-bit application}.
(1996-05-13)