asynchronously
|a-syn-chro-nous-ly|
🇺🇸
/əˈsɪŋkrənəs/
🇬🇧
/eɪˈsɪŋkrənəs/
(asynchronous)
not simultaneous
Etymology
'asynchronously' originates from Modern English, formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to 'asynchronous', where 'asynchronous' comes from Greek elements 'a-' (not) + 'synchronous' ('syn-' together + 'chronos' time).
'asynchronous' was formed in English from Late Greek/Modern Greek 'asynchronos' (not + synchronous) via Medieval/Modern Latin and French influences, and later the adverbial suffix '-ly' was appended to create 'asynchronously' in English.
Initially, the root elements conveyed the literal sense 'not at the same time'; over time the term came to be used both in general contexts (not simultaneous) and in technical contexts (nonblocking or independently executed processes) while keeping the core idea of 'not simultaneous.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a manner that is not simultaneous; not occurring at the same time.
The two events were handled asynchronously, so one did not wait for the other to finish.
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Adverb 2
(Computing/communication) In a way that allows operations to proceed independently, without blocking or requiring immediate response; performed independently of a main program flow.
The API processes requests asynchronously, returning immediately while work continues in the background.
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Last updated: 2025/10/29 10:50