checksum

[ chek-suhm ]

noun

, Computers.

1. a string of characters derived from a piece of stored or transmitted digital data, used to determine whether that data has been corrupted or tampered with (often used attributively):

   The researchers crawled the website daily over four months but did not compare checksums of the returned pages, so we cannot rely on the integrity of that data.

   We have identified a problem with the previous checksum algorithm and provided a solution.

Word History and Origins

Origin of checksum¹

First recorded in 1935–40; check ¹( def ) + sum ( def )

Example Sentences

Constantinides set out to develop a “checksum” system to uniquely identify any sequence without giving away the sequence itself.

From Science Magazine

I dropped the card in, backed it up with checksum verification, then took a deep breath, wiped the card, and kept shooting.

From The Verge

"It didn't finish transmitting. Some data's missing, and there's no checksum. Gimme a sec."

From Literature

Lexmark designed their printer program so that it would not accept a toner cartridge unless it received the correct "checksum" or validation number.

From Project Gutenberg