multithreading
|mul-ti-thread-ing|
/ˌmʌltiˈθrɛdɪŋ/
(multithread)
multiple execution threads
Etymology
'multithreading' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'multi-' (from Latin 'multus' meaning 'many') combined with the noun 'thread' (Old English 'thrǣd').
'thread' changed from the Old English word 'thrǣd' and Proto-Germanic roots into modern English 'thread'; the combining prefix 'multi-' comes via Latin 'multus' and entered English as a productive prefix to mean 'many', together producing the modern compound 'multithreading' in computing use.
Initially the components literally referred to 'many threads' (e.g., threads of yarn); over time, and especially with the rise of computing, the compound evolved to mean 'multiple sequences of execution within a program' when used in a technical context.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a programming technique or capability in which a single process contains multiple threads of execution that can run concurrently, allowing tasks to be performed in parallel or appear to run simultaneously.
The server uses multithreading to handle multiple client connections at the same time.
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Verb 1
to implement or run a program so that it uses multiple threads (e.g., to multithread an application).
We decided to multithread the image processing pipeline to speed up performance.
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Adjective 1
describing software or a system that employs multiple threads of execution (often written as 'multithreaded').
The application is multithreaded, so it can utilize multiple CPU cores.
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Last updated: 2025/09/27 20:17