A lightweight execution unit within a process that can run concurrently with other threads, sharing the same memory space but maintaining its own execution stack. Threads enable multitasking within a single program.
From Old English 'þræd' meaning a spun fiber. In computing, the metaphor emerged in the 1960s, likening the execution path of a program to a thread that can be woven together with others to create a more complex fabric (program).
Threads are like multiple checkout lanes in a grocery store - they all serve the same store (process) and share the same inventory (memory), but each can serve customers independently. This parallel service makes the whole store run much more efficiently!
Historically, 'thread' and threading work (spinning, weaving, sewing) were associated with women’s labor, often devalued as 'domestic' despite its economic and cultural importance. Metaphors of 'women’s work' as mere 'thread' have sometimes minimized its complexity and skill.
Use 'thread' neutrally for textiles, narratives, or online discussions, and avoid dismissing textile-related skills as trivial or inherently feminine.
["fiber","strand","discussion thread","topic"]
Textile work has long been a domain of women’s expertise and innovation, including in coding history where 'threads' and 'looms' metaphorically informed early computing; credit these contributions when discussing the evolution of such terms.
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