byte addressable

byte addressable

Refers to random access memory (RAM) that can be accessed at the byte level such as the common DRAM and SRAM chips used in all computers. A single character can be read from or written into any memory byte. Byte addressing is essential to working on individual items of data. It enables fields in a record and characters in a field to be identified and processed independently of the rest.

Byte Addressable for Reading Only
Some memory chips, such as flash memory, are byte addressable for reading, but not for writing. Before any data can be written, an entire block of bytes must be erased. Contrast with word addressable. See memory types.