Binary \bi"na*ry\, n.

1. That which is constituted of two figures, things, or parts; two; duality. --Fotherby
2. A system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation [syn: binary star, double star]
3. Any file format for digital data encoded as a sequence of bits but not consisting of a sequence of printable characters (text). The term is often used for executable machine code

Binary \bi"na*ry\, adj. [L. binarius, fr. bini two by two, two at a time, fr. root of bis twice; akin to E. two: cf. F binaire.]

1. Compounded or consisting of two things or parts; characterized by two (things)
2. Of or pertaining to a number system have 2 as its base; "a binary digit"