autoloading
|au-to-load-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtəˈloʊdɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəˈləʊdɪŋ/
(autoload)
automatic on-demand loading
Etymology
'autoloading' originates from modern English, formed by the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self') combined with the verb 'load' and the gerundive/nominal suffix '-ing'.
'auto-' comes from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self'; 'load' ultimately comes from Old English 'hlādan' meaning 'to put a load on or to lade'. The compound 'autoload' emerged in 20th-century computing usage, and 'autoloading' developed as its gerund/nominal form in software contexts.
Literally 'self-load' at formation, the term evolved in computing to mean 'automatic, on-demand loading of program components' rather than a physical act of loading.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the mechanism or process by which software (classes, modules, or files) is automatically loaded when first referenced, instead of being explicitly loaded beforehand.
Autoloading reduces startup time by loading modules only when they are actually needed.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/26 15:30