Origin: Latin suffix -ary
Binary has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
a system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation
"The amateur astronomer spent the night tracking the binary pair, fascinated by how the two massive stars danced in perfect balance."
a pre-compiled, pre-linked program that is ready to run under a given operating system; a binary for one operating system will not run on a different operating system
"the same source code can be compiled to produce different binaries for different operating systems"
A thing which can have only (one or the other of) two values.
"Every computer decision ultimately comes down to a binary choice between zero and one."
In plain English: A binary is something that only has two possible options, like on or off.
"The computer converts all data into a binary code of zeros and ones."
Usage: As a noun, binary refers to a system or choice limited to exactly two options, such as a light switch that is either on or off. Use this term when describing situations where there are no middle grounds or intermediate states between the two available values.
consisting of two (units or components or elements or terms)
"a binary star is a system in which two stars revolve around each other"
"a binary compound"
"the binary number system has two as its base"
Being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off, true or false, molten or frozen, presence or absence of a signal.
"The system's binary nature means the light is either fully illuminated to indicate power or completely dark when there is no signal at all."
In plain English: Binary means having only two possible options or states, like on and off.
"The binary system uses only two digits, zero and one, to represent all numbers."
Usage: Use binary to describe systems that operate using only two distinct options, such as switches being either on or off. It applies specifically when choices are mutually exclusive and limited to exactly two states, like yes or no.
The word binary comes from the Late Latin term bīnārius, which meant "consisting of two." It entered English through a direct translation of this original meaning rather than undergoing any significant shift in definition.