instruction set

instruction set

[in′strək·shən ‚set]

(computer science)

Also known as instruction repertory.

The set of instructions which a computing or data-processing system is capable of performing.

The set of instructions which an automatic coding system assembles.

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

instruction set

(architecture)

The collection of machine language instructions that a particular processor understands.

The term is almost synonymous with "instruction set architecture" since the instructions are fairly meaningless in isolation from the registers etc. that they manipulate.

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

instruction set

The group of machine language instructions that a computer can follow, which may range from a handful to several hundred. It is a fundamental architectural component of a CPU and is either built into the CPU or into microcode, a layer between the instruction set and the circuitry. The instruction length is generally from one to four bytes long. See CISC, RISC, machine language, microcode and CPU.

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