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parallel interface

parallel interface

1 5.7
A connection that sends many bits at once between a computer and a device like a printer
  • noun
  • /ˈpærəˌlɛl ˈɪntərˌfeɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : interfaz paralela
  • She bought a new parallel interface cable to link her printer and laptop for faster data transfer.

Examples

  • Most transponders will support a parallel interface, although a few require a serial interface.

    Blog text (27)
  • But why do I have to talk about diodes, resistors, parallel interface?

  • Serial links offer many advantages over traditional parallel interfaces:

    Academic text (1996)
  • There is no need to provide a separate interface for each disk drive, as required by a multidrop parallel interface.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Parallel interfaces, where you might hook a printer cable into a computer.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The recorded data are downloaded into a microcomputer through a parallel interface for data processing, analysis, and display.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The cost of a blind encoder runs from under $200 (parallel interface) to just under $600 (serial interface).

    Blog text (27)
  • It has a USB and parallel interface for Windows 98, Windows 200, and the Macintosh.

    Academic text (2001)
  • SSA has many advantages over existing parallel interfaces such as the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI-2).

    Academic text (1996)
  • A printer connects to the computer using a parallel interface, allowing it to receive multiple bits of data at once.

Synonyms

parallel port
vsparallel interface
  • Archaic
1 4.3

A socket on a computer that connects devices like printers and sends data across many wires

is the general connection method sending many bits simultaneously across separate wires

Surface Forms

Morphology

parallel + interface

The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'parallel' (simultaneous/multiple operations) and 'interface' (a connection between devices), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an interface that transmits data in parallel across multiple channels. This follows standard, cross-linguistically common compositional patterns rather than an idiomatic shift, making the meaning predictable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Parallel interface comes from the image of several wires running side by side: parallel means 'side by side' and interface means 'a connection' between devices. So a parallel interface sends many bits, small pieces of data, 'at the same time' along separate wires to a printer or other device, which is why it can move data faster than a single line.