wheel bit

( n.)
   A  privilege bit that allows the possessor to perform some restricted
   operation  on a timesharing system, such as read or write any file on
   the  system  regardless of protections, change or look at any address
   in  the  running  monitor,  crash  or  reload the system, and kill or
   create  jobs  and  user  accounts. The term was invented on the TENEX
   operating system, and carried over to TOPS-20, XEROX-IFS, and others.
   The  state  of  being in a privileged logon is sometimes called wheel
   mode. This term entered the Unix culture from TWENEX in the mid-1980s
   and has been gaining popularity there (esp. at university sites). See
   also {root}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {wheel}]