token

token

1. a gift voucher that can be used as payment for goods of a specified value

2. Philosophy an individual instance: if the same sentence has different truth-values on different occasions of utterance the truth-value may be said to attach to the sentence-token

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

token

[′tō·kən]

(communications)

A unique grouping of bits that is transmitted as a unit in a communications network and used as a signal to notify stations in the network when they have control and are free to send information or take other specified actions.

(computer science)

A distinguishable unit in a sequence of characters.

A single byte that is used to represent a keyword in a programming language in order to conserve storage space.

A physical object, such as a badge or identity card, issued to authorized users of a computing system, building, or area.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

token

(grammar)

A basic, grammatically indivisible unit of a language such as a keyword, operator or identifier. Compare: lexeme.

token

(convention)

(Or "pumpkin") An abstact concept passed between cooperating agents to ensure synchronised access to a shared resource. Such a token is never duplicated or destroyed (unless the resource is) and whoever has the token has exclusive access to the resource it controls. See for example token ring.

If several programmers are working on a program, one programmer will "have the token" at any time, meaning that only he can change the program whereas others can only read it. If someone else wants to modify it he must first obtain the token.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

token

(1) An item that is the equivalent of something else. In the physical world, tokens take the place of coins and tickets. In the digital world, tokens are data that represent other data. See authentication token, crypto token and Ethereum token.

(2) A frame in a communications network. See token passing.

(3) A dynamically assigned number for a Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) credit or debit card transaction. The token is used in place of the "primary account number" (PAN) on the card. See EMV.

(4) In programming, a string of characters. For example, in the C expression #define MAXAMOUNT 50000, MAXAMOUNT is the token.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.