thread
/θrɛd
/noun
1A long, thin strand of cotton, nylon, or other fibres used in sewing or weaving: he had a loose thread on his shirt figurative the thread that bound them had snapped...
- Woven gauzes are manufactured from cotton yam or threads and woven like fabric.
- She sighed and let her hands rest on her lap, her fingers absently playing with a loose thread of cotton.
- Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven.
1.1 [mass noun] Cotton, nylon, or other fibres spun into long, thin strands and used for sewing: she put her needle and thread away...
- The cotton would be cleaned and then spun into yarn or thread.
- She was on a production line that spins cotton thread onto the spools.
- After the nurse stitched the wound with a sewing needle and cotton thread, the mother and baby were transferred and treated by Dr King and his colleagues at the nearest hospital.
Synonyms
yarn, cotton, filament, fibre, strand, string, twine, line;
ply
1.2 literary A long, thin line or piece of something: the Thames was a thread of silver below them...
- The older woman looked much like Jenna, only her face had a few more lines and the long black hair was touched with threads of silver.
- Her hair had silver threads in it, and on her face were the beginnings of lines.
- Now that he's close, I can see a few threads of silver in the thick black hair.
Synonyms
streak, strand, stripe, line, striation, strip, seam, vein, belt, bar, swathe
2A theme or characteristic running throughout a situation or piece of writing: a major thread running through the book is the primacy of form over substance...
- A common thread throughout this discourse is the sense that members of the subjugated regime are outside the mainstream.
- And throughout, the common thread is the implications of property rights.
- The common thread that ran throughout the entire discussion focused on the chasm that sometimes exists between teachers and retailers.
Synonyms
train of thought, drift, direction, sense, theme, subject matter, motif, tenor, strain, thrust, subject, gist, burden, action;
plot, storyline, scenario
2.1A group of linked messages posted on an Internet forum that share a common subject or theme.I know there are other threads on this subject, but they are more specific in nature....
- One of the unexpected benefits of posting the article to a newsgroup was that a thread developed on the subject of competition on the London to Manchester route.
- If you have any problems that aren't resolved here, then you can post on the forum thread by clicking here
2.2 Computing A programming structure or process formed by linking a number of separate elements or subroutines, especially each of the tasks executed concurrently in multithreading.Multiple streams of data are characteristic of applications which execute multiple threads and processes in parallel....
- It solves the performance problem by executing all requests as threads in one process, or in a load-balanced system, in one process per server in the cluster.
- All processes are considered threads by the operating system.
3 (also screw thread) A helical ridge on the outside of a screw, bolt, etc. or on the inside of a cylindrical hole, to allow two parts to be screwed together.This can be done either by putting a screw thread of the correct pitch on the barrel's axle or, more often, by shifting a lever....
- She took a standard coffee pot and put a perforated cylinder - similar to a sieve - in the middle, into which she put a plunger on a screw thread.
- A gouge auger is similar, but instead of a screw thread there is a sharp-ended tube with a slot cut in the side.
4 (threads) informal, chiefly North American Clothes: his fine threads and fashionable specs...
- Besides, what's the point of wearing the coolest threads of the season if your jacket doesn't say it all?
- I'd love to dress up in the latest threads from designer brands, but I'm a student and just cannot afford it.
- The new womenswear and menswear designer emporiums showcase threads from cutting edge houses, but you can still buy tartan shortbread in the food hall.
verb [with object]
1Pass a thread through the eye of (a needle) or through the needle and guides of (a sewing machine): I can’t even thread a needle she threaded up the machine with the right cotton...
- I threaded up a needle with linen thread, and took one of the new-cut pieces of fabric and folded back a hem, and began my work.
- I demonstrated how to thread the blunt tapestry needle, where to place the knot and how to hold and move the needle when stitching.
- I stand and look down at the needle as I thread it with ease and neatly begin stitching.
1.1 [with object and adverbial of direction] Pass (a long, thin object or piece of material) through something and into the required position for use: he threaded the rope through a pulley...
- The cameraman would show me how to thread the film and how to repair it.
- APS cameras all auto-load these cartridges, so there is no messing about with threading film through a series of rollers.
- I pulled on my pants, threading a black leather belt through the belt loops.
Synonyms
pass, string, weave, work, ease, inch, move, push, poke, thrust
1.2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move carefully or skilfully in and out of obstacles: she threaded her way through the tables...
- Carefully we threaded our way through the beach maze, around and between and over what seemed like an endless array of towels, blankets, beach umbrellas, and beach chairs.
- He wanted a car small enough to thread through city streets, yet big enough to take three people and their luggage.
- It was from Manorbier that I persuaded the children to join me in a walk along a small stretch of Pembrokeshire's 186 mile coastal path, threading between heather, sea pinks and campion along a volley of headlands.
Synonyms
weave (one's way), inch (one's way), wind (one's way), file, work (one's way), push (one's way), squeeze (one's way), shoulder (one's way), elbow (one's way), make one's way;
progress, pass
1.3Interweave or intersperse as if with threads: his hair had become ill-kempt and threaded with grey...
- The play tells the story of his life amidst the turbulent times of the Penal Laws, and the narrative is threaded with her music.
- Assertive, clean, black-fruit flavours are threaded with a necessary acidity and backed by chewy oak.
- Waves of aromas and flavours of cigar boxes, ripe juicy blackcurrants and spice all harmoniously integrate with perfumed French oak and are threaded with firm acidity.
1.4Put (beads or other small objects) on a thread, chain, etc. Constance sat threading beads...
- A weight followed by another smaller bead were threaded on the wire.
- It's just a case of threading them together like beads on a string, whether they make sense or not.
- During the fourth year the child learns to cut with scissors and to thread beads, develops a mature pencil grasp, and learns to draw.
Synonyms
string
2 (usually as adjective threaded) Cut a screw thread in or on (a hole, screw, or other object): two threaded holes for machine screws the outer jaw is bored and threaded for set screws...
- That way you'll have a little wiggle room to finesse each screw into its respective hole and get it threaded.
- What they do is to drill a pilot hole in the bolt, and place a bit into the hole that is reverse threaded so that while you are tightening up the bit, it is backing out the bolt.
- For hardwoods, such as flooring, siding and rafters, use spiral threaded nails that turn as they are driven into the wood.
Phrases
hang by a thread
lose the (or one's) thread
Derivatives
thread-like
- So we left the chatter at the refreshment kiosk and did just that, explored the place off the beaten track, navigating rock to rock, picking up thread-like paths through the heather.
- Our body cells contain 23 pairs of thread-like structures called chromosomes.
- The spinal cord, which runs from the brain down through the bony spinal column, contains thread-like nerves that branch off to every part of the body.
Origin
Old English thrǣd (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch draad and German Draht, also to the verb throw. The verb dates from late Middle English.
A Germanic word distantly related to throw. The expression hang by a thread goes back to the 16th century, and comes from the legend of Damocles. He was a flattering courtier of Dionysius I, ruler of Syracuse in Sicily in the 4th century bc, who constantly told his ruler that he must be the happiest of men. Eventually the king decided to give Damocles a graphic demonstration of how fragile his happiness was. Dionysius invited him to a sumptuous banquet, but then Damocles realized he had been seated under a sword suspended by a single hair right above his head. The legend has also given us the expression a sword of Damocles for an imminent danger or ever-present threat.