multiprogramming

American

[muhl-tee-proh-gram-ing, -gruh-ming, muhl-tahy-] / ˌmʌl tiˈproʊ græm ɪŋ, -grə mɪŋ, ˌmʌl taɪ- /

noun

Computers.

the overlapped or interleaved execution of two or more programs by a single CPU.

multiprogramming British

/ ˌmʌltɪˈprəʊɡræmɪŋ /

noun

a time-sharing technique by which several computer programs are each run for a short period in rotation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of multiprogramming

First recorded in 1955–60; multi- + program + -ing ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023