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LSW

LSW is an acronym that can refer to several terms across different domains. The most widely used meaning is least significant word.

In computing and digital arithmetic, a multiword integer is represented as a sequence of fixed-size words (for

Beyond computing, LSW is used as an initialism in various fields, referring to organizations, institutions, or

example
16,
32,
or
64
bits).
The
least
significant
word
is
the
element
containing
the
lower-order
bits,
i.e.,
the
portion
with
the
smallest
numeric
weight.
In
little-endian
systems,
the
LSW
is
stored
at
the
lowest
memory
address,
while
in
big-endian
systems
it
may
appear
last
when
reading
the
number
left
to
right.
Algorithms
for
multiword
addition,
subtraction,
multiplication,
and
modular
reduction
often
operate
on
words
starting
from
the
LSW,
with
carries
propagating
toward
higher-significance
words.
The
concept
of
an
LSW
is
also
relevant
in
cryptographic
and
digital
signal
processing
implementations
that
manipulate
large
numbers
by
dividing
them
into
words.
terms
whose
full
names
begin
with
L,
S,
and
W.
Because
there
is
no
single
standardized
list
of
these
meanings,
the
intended
expansion
of
LSW
depends
on
the
context
in
which
it
appears.
When
encountering
the
acronym,
it
is
helpful
to
rely
on
surrounding
information
to
determine
which
specific
meaning
is
intended.