In computing, a bucky bit is a bit in a binary representation of a character that is set by pressing on a keyboard modifier key other than the shift key.
A bucky bit allows the user to type a wider variety of characters and commands while maintaining a reasonable number of keys on a keyboard.
[1] The term was invented at Stanford and is based on Niklaus Wirth's nickname "Bucky".
Niklaus Wirth was first to suggest an EDIT key to set the eighth bit of a 7-bit ASCII character sometime in 1964 or 1965.
These could contain as many as seven modifier keys: SHIFT, CTRL, META, HYPER, SUPER, TOP, and GREEK (also referred to as FRONT).