descriptor

2 definitions found

descriptor - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  descriptor
      n 1: the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a
           word that can be used to describe or identify something;
           "the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem
           and a list of inflections to be attached" [syn: form,
           word form, signifier, descriptor]
      2: a piece of stored information that is used to identify an
         item in an information storage and retrieval system

descriptor - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  descriptor
  
     <operating system> An integer, string or other small data
     value which refers to one of several objects allocated to a
     program by the operating system, usually the kernel.  A
     common example is a Unix file descriptor which is a small
     integer that identifies an I/O channel.  Another example is a
     reference to an area of memory (e.g. shared memory).
  
     Compare capability.
  
     (1998-02-06)