time-sharing

[tahym-shair-ing]

noun

1. Computers.,  a system or service in which a number of users at different terminals simultaneously use a single computer for different purposes.

2. Also a plan in which persons share ownership or rental costs of a vacation home, especially a condominium, entitling each participant to use the residence for a specified time each year.

time sharing

noun

1. 1. a system of part ownership of a property, such as a flat or villa, for use as a holiday home, whereby each participant buys the right to use the property for the same fixed period annually

   2. ( as modifier )

      a time-sharing system

2. 1. a system by which users at different terminals of a computer can, because of its high speed, apparently communicate with it at the same time Compare batch processing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a time-sharing computer

Word History and Origins

Origin of time sharing¹

First recorded in 1960–65