command overhead
- noun
- Specialized
- The command overhead of the operating system increased response times for simple tasks.
Examples
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Reducing command overhead can greatly improve the overall efficiency of a device.
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Engineers analyzed the command overhead to optimize the performance of the embedded system.
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The command overhead in this system is too high.
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Reducing command overheads can improve system performance.
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Engineers analyzed the command overhead to optimize the performance of the embedded system.
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Reducing command overhead can greatly improve the overall efficiency of a device.
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The command overhead of the operating system increased response times for simple tasks.
Synonyms
Time a computer or machine takes to get ready before it runs a command
Time a device takes to get ready before it starts a command
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun–noun combination where 'overhead' (extra processing time/resources) is being attributed to a 'command' (an instruction), so the overall meaning is directly inferable from the parts. This follows common English composition patterns and is conceptually similar across technical vocabularies in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely understand it.
Etymology
Command overhead comes from a simple image: command is an instruction and overhead is like a weight above it that must be dealt with before the job can start. So it means the 'extra work' or time a device must do 'before' it can carry out the command.