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Glite Dictionary
💻 Shared computer use 🏡 Shared property use ⏰ Dividing time
time-sharing

time-sharing

1 3.6
A way for several people to use one computer at the same time
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪmˌʃɛrɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : compartición de tiempo

Examples

  • Both the real-time clock and the performance monitor are oblivious to time sharing.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Every console and instrument in Wildfire is plugged into the main computer on a time-sharing basis.

    The Andromeda Strain (1971)

  • The university's computer science program offers a course on time-sharing systems, enabling students to learn how multiple users can access the same resources simultaneously.

  • Modern operating systems utilize time-sharing to allow several applications to run at the same time without interfering with one another.

  • With time-sharing technology, many employees can work remotely using the same powerful server, improving efficiency and collaboration.

Synonyms

time sharing
vstime-sharing
  • Specialized
4.2

A system that lets many people use one computer at the same time

is the same concept but written as a hyphenated form

Antonyms

one-person
58 3.3

A thing that only one person can use

How Many

time-sharing
  • Specialized
1 3.6
multiuser
  • Specialized
3.6
one-person
58 3.3

Surface Forms

time-sharing singular
time-sharings plural

Morphology

time-sharing = time + share (transparent) = time + share + ing

The noun is a straightforward compound of 'time' + 'share' (with 'share' realized as 'sharing'), so the computing sense is directly interpretable as sharing of time/resource slices.

Etymology

Time-sharing is the simple idea of putting time and share together: a computer's time is split into short turns and 'shared' so many people can use it at the same time. Think of it like several people taking quick turns on one playground slide, which is why time-sharing in computing lets several users use one machine at once.