nybble /nib'l/ (alt. `nibble') n.
[from v. `nibble' by analogy with `bite' => `byte'] Four
bits; one hex digit; a half-byte.
Though `byte' is now techspeak, this useful relative is still
jargon. Compare byte; see also bit. The more mundane spelling "nibble" is
also commonly used. Apparently the `nybble' spelling is uncommon
in Commonwealth Hackish, as British orthography would suggest the
pronunciation /ni:'bl/.
Following `bit', `byte' and `nybble' there have been quite a
few analogical attempts to construct unambiguous terms for bit
blocks of other sizes. All of these are strictly jargon, not
techspeak, and not very common jargon at that (most hackers would
recognize them in context but not use them spontaneously). We
collect them here for reference together with the ambiguous
techspeak terms `word', `half-word' and `double word'; some
(indicated) have substantial information separate entries.