To be specific, binary refers to a numeric representation that is comprised of (frequently very long) sequences of only two values, usually 0 and 1. Deep down at their very core, most computers really only understand 0 and 1 (or in other words, some little bit of information is either "off" or "on"). Thus, the term binary is frequently used to describe anything already translated to the form that is closest to what the system understands natively