Dictionary:Endian

{{#category_index:E|endian}} (en’ dē ∂n) Refers to the byte (and bit) order of multibyte quantities. Big Endian order means that the most significant byte preceeds less-significant bytes, whereas little endian means the opposite. Refers to Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, who debated whether it was better to crack an egg at the big or the small end.