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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

digital \dig"i*tal\ (d[i^]j"[i^]*tal), a. [L. digitals.]
1. Of or pertaining to the fingers; done with the fingers;
as, digital compression; digital examination.
[1913 Webster]

2. of or pertaining to digits[3]; expressed in digits[3], or
using digits[3]; as, a digital display; a digital clock.
[PJC]

3. (Computers) performing internal logical and arithmetic
operations by means of digits, usually represented as
binary numbers. Contrasted to {analog}, wherein variables
are represented as coninuous physical quantities such as
voltages or the position of a pointer on a continuous
scale; as, a digital computer.
[PJC]

Note: In digital computers, physical quantities in analog
form, such as images, sounds, distances, voltages,
etc., must first be converted to an internal digital
representation before calculations can be performed on
them. The conversion may be done by the data enterer,
by approximation, in the case of numerical values, or
by analog-to-digital conversion in the case of light or
sound intensities. The latter case uses special
equipment to convert the physical impulses into a
digital value, using a pre-defined encoding system.
[PJC]