thread

1. Computing: In multitasking or multithreading environments, set of code that serves as an additional linkage structure in a program. Threads allow different portions of a program to operate independently of each other instead of in a fixed sequence and (on multiprocessor systems) on separate processors (CPUs). A running program may have several threads active at the same time: one may be solving a mathematical equation, the other may be drawing a graph, and a third one dialing a number. The operating system decides which thread or process is visible to the user and which remains hidden.

2. Internet: Chain of questions and answers (or comments) on a particular topic posted by members of a special interest group or visitors to a website. This arrangement allows a reader to follow the messages in the sequence or to jump to any particular one.