GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

last match results

Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Thread , n. [OE. threed, þred, AS. þrǣd; akin to D. draad, G. draht wire, thread, OHG. drāt, Icel. þrāðr a thread, Sw. tråd, Dan. traad, and AS. þrāwan to twist. See Throw, and cf. Third.]
   A very small twist of flax, wool, cotton, silk, or other fibrous substance, drawn out to considerable length; a compound cord consisting of two or more single yarns doubled, or joined together, and twisted; also, one fiber of a cord composed of multiple fibers.
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   A filament of any substance, as of glass, gold or silver; a filamentous part of an object, such as a flower; a component fiber of any or of any fibrous substance, as of bark.
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   The prominent part of the spiral of a screw or nut; the rib. See Screw, n., 1.
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   (Fig.) Something continued in a long course or tenor; a recurrent theme or related sequence of events in a larger story; as the thread of a story, or of life, or of a discourse.
   Bp. Burnet.
   
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   Fig.: Composition; quality; fineness. [Obs.]
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   A neat courtier,
   Of a most elegant thread.
   B. Jonson.
   
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   (Computers) A related sequence of instructions or actions within a program that runs at least in part independent of other actions within the program; -- such threads are capable of being executed only in oprating systems permittnig multitasking.
   PJC
   (Computers) A sequence of messages posted to an on-line newsgroup or discussion group, dealing with the same topic; -- messages in such a thread typically refer to a previous posting, thus allowing their identification as part of the thread. Some news-reading programs allow a user to follow a single such thread independent of the other postings to that newsgroup.
   PJC
   Air thread, the fine white filaments which are seen floating in the air in summer, the production of spiders; gossamer. -- Thread and thrum, the good and bad together. [Obs.] Shak. -- Thread cell (Zool.), a lasso cell. See under Lasso. -- Thread herring (Zool.), the gizzard shad. See under Gizzard. -- Thread lace, lace made of linen thread. -- Thread needle, a game in which children stand in a row, joining hands, and in which the outer one, still holding his neighbor, runs between the others; -- called also thread the needle.
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2.       
   Thread, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Threaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Threading.]
   To pass a thread through the eye of; as, to thread a needle.
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   To pass or pierce through as a narrow way; also, to effect or make, as one's way, through or between obstacles; to thrid.
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   Heavy trading ships . . . threading the Bosphorus.
   Mitford.
   
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   They would not thread the gates.
   Shak.
   
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   To form a thread, or spiral rib, on or in; as, to thread a screw or nut.
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