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asynchronous - 4 dictionary results

a⋅syn⋅chro⋅nous

  [ey-sing-kruh-nuhs]
Use asynchronous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not occurring at the same time.
2. (of a computer or other electrical machine) having each operation started only after the preceding operation is completed.
3. Computers, Telecommunications. of or pertaining to operation without the use of fixed time intervals (opposed to synchronous ).
Origin:
1740–50; a- 6 + synchronous

Related forms:
a⋅syn⋅chro⋅nous⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To asynchronous
a·syn·chro·nism   (ā-sĭng'krə-nĭz'əm)   
n.  Lack of temporal concurrence; absence of synchronism.
a·syn'chro·nous (-nəs) adj., a·syn'chro·nous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Asynchronous

A*syn"chro*nous\, a. [Gr. ? not + synchronous.] Not simultaneous; not concurrent in time; -- opposed to synchronous.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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asynchronous architecture
Not synchronised by a shared signal such as clock or semaphore, proceeding independently.
Opposite: synchronous.
1. A process in a multitasking system whose execution can proceed independently, "in the background". Other processes may be started before the asynchronous process has finished.
2. A communications system in which data transmission may start at any time and is indicated by a start bit, e.g. EIA-232. A data byte (or other element defined by the protocol) ends with a stop bit. A continuous marking condition (identical to stop bits but not quantized in time), is then maintained until data resumes.
(1995-12-08)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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