chawmp

chawmp n.  [University of Florida] 16 or 18 bits (half of a
   machine word).  This term was used by FORTH hackers during the late
   1970s/early 1980s; it is said to have been archaic then, and may
   now be obsolete.  It was coined in revolt against the promiscuous
   use of `word' for anything between 16 and 32 bits; `word' has
   an additional special meaning for FORTH hacks that made the
   overloading intolerable.  For similar reasons, /gaw'bl/ (spelled
   `gawble' or possibly `gawbul') was in use as a term for 32 or
   48 bits (presumably a full machine word, but our sources are
   unclear on this).  These terms are more easily understood if one
   thinks of them as `chomp' and `gobble' pronounced in a Florida or
   other Southern U.S. dialect.  For general discussion of similar
terms, see
   {nybble}.