encapsulation

3 definitions found

encapsulation - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Encapsulation \En*cap`su*la"tion\, n. (Physiol.)
     The act of inclosing in a capsule; the growth of a membrane
     around (any part) so as to inclose it in a capsule.
     [1913 Webster]

encapsulation - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  encapsulation
      n 1: the condition of being enclosed (as in a capsule); "the
           encapsulation of tendons in membranous sheaths"
      2: the process of enclosing (as in a capsule)

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

  encapsulation
  
     1. The technique used by layered protocols in which a layer
     adds header information to the protocol data unit (PDU) from
     the layer above.  As an example, in Internet terminology, a
     packet would contain a header from the physical layer,
     followed by a header from the network layer (IP), followed by
     a header from the transport layer (TCP), followed by the
     application protocol data.
  
     2. The ability to provide users with a well-defined interface
     to a set of functions in a way which hides their internal
     workings.  In object-oriented programming, the technique of
     keeping together data structures and the methods (procedures)
     which act on them.
  
     (1998-09-07)