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Glite Dictionary
KB

KB

4 3.0
A unit for measuring the size of digital files or memory, about 1,000 bytes
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : KB
  • The original POWER processor had an 8KB I-cache and a 64KB D-cache.
  • 64 KB
  • 32 KB
  • 128 KB

And this has got one KB of RAM.

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Examples

  • A plot of the data revealed 500 KB in flight over a 10 ms path.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The L2 cache contains 768 KB distributed in a clustered configuration across a pair of chips.

    Academic text (1997)

  • And this has got one KB of RAM.

    ExplainingComputers

  • Cluster sizes of 16 KB, 32 KB, and 64 KB were chosen.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The size is limited to 32 KB to fit on the PU chip and to achieve one-cycle access.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Recall that the two I-cache configurations were the same size, 32 KB; only the line size was changed.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The L1 I-cache and L1 D-cache were both increased from 64 KB to 128 KB.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Each microprocessor, or CP, contains 64 KB of store-through L1 cache.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The I-cache holds 32 KB and is two-way set-associative, with a line size of 128 bytes.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The file size of the photo is 2KB, which makes it easy to share via email.

Synonyms

kilobyte
vsKB
  • Specialized
4 3.6

A small measure of computer data, about 1,000 bytes

is the abbreviated two-letter form used for the same unit
K
vsKB
  • Specialized
3 3.5

A unit of computer data equal to about 1,000 bytes

is the two-letter abbreviation that represents the same unit more precisely
kB
vsKB
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A unit of digital information of about 1,000 bytes used to measure computer file size

is the standard uppercase two-letter abbreviation for the same unit

How Much

TB
  • Specialized
5 3.5
GB
  • Specialized
77 3.2
Mb
  • Specialized
2 3.8
KB
  • Specialized
4 3.0
byte
  • Specialized
23 3.6

Surface Forms

KB singular
KBs plural

Morphology

KB = kilobyte (semi-transparent) = K + B

KB is an initialism standing for 'kilobyte', so the relation to the base word is direct and predictable for learners familiar with computing conventions. [Postprocessing: changed transparency from 'transparent' to 'semi-transparent' for abbreviation]

Etymology

The word KB comes from kilo ('thousand') and byte, which you can remember as like 'bite', a small piece of data. So a KB is a unit used to measure file size that means about one thousand little data 'bites', and it is usually 1,000 or 1,024 bytes.