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Glite Dictionary
💾 A computer encoding 💾 Specially encoded
EBCDIC

EBCDIC

9.9
Files stored using an old IBM character code often found on mainframes
  • adjective
  • /ˈiːbɪˌsiːˈdɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : EBCDIC
  • The mainframe stores all its data in EBCDIC format, requiring special conversion tools.

Examples

  • When migrating to modern systems, EBCDIC data must be converted to a more common encoding.

  • Some legacy printers only support EBCDIC encoded files for document processing.

  • The data was stored in EBCDIC format.

  • Many legacy systems still use EBCDIC encoding.

  • Many older computers still rely on EBCDIC for their data storage and processing.

  • The application can read files that are encoded in EBCDIC, but it may take time to convert them.

  • If you work with mainframe systems, understanding EBCDIC encoding is essential.

How Common

Unicode
  • Specialized
5.2
ASCII
  • Specialized
1 4.6
EBCDIC
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

EBCDIC positive

Morphology

EBCDIC = E + B + C + D + I + C

EBCDIC is an initialism/acronym composed of letters, not productive English morphemes, so its meaning cannot be derived from the component letters by an average learner.

Etymology

EBCDIC used as an adjective comes from the same IBM name Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code, so when a file is called EBCDIC it means the file is 'encoded in that old code' and may need conversion to more common encodings.