The duration of an individual one (1) or zero (0) bit in a digital transmission.The transmitter ejects bits at a given rate (x bits per second), with each bit occupying the circuit for a given amount of time, which is the inverse of the bit rate (1/x seconds per bit). The receiver must monitor the circuit at precisely the same rate and at the same instants in time in order to distinguish the individual bits. See also bit, circuit, and digital.