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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Thread \Thread\ (thr[e^]d), n. [OE. threed, [thorn]red, AS.
[thorn]r[=ae]d; akin to D. draad, G. draht wire, thread, OHG.
dr[=a]t, Icel. [thorn]r[=a][eth]r a thread, Sw. tr[*a]d, Dan.
traad, and AS. [thorn]r[=a]wan to twist. See {Throw}, and cf.
{Third}.]
1. A very small twist of flax, wool, cotton, silk, or other
fibrous substance, drawn out to considerable length; a
compound cord consisting of two or more single yarns
doubled, or joined together, and twisted; also, one fiber
of a cord composed of multiple fibers.
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2. A filament of any substance, as of glass, gold or silver;
a filamentous part of an object, such as a flower; a
component fiber of any or of any fibrous substance, as of
bark.
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3. The prominent part of the spiral of a screw or nut; the
rib. See {Screw}, n., 1.
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4. (Fig.) Something continued in a long course or tenor; a
recurrent theme or related sequence of events in a larger
story; as the thread of a story, or of life, or of a
discourse. --Bp. Burnet.
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5. Fig.: Composition; quality; fineness. [Obs.]
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A neat courtier,
Of a most elegant thread. --B. Jonson.
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6. (Computers) A related sequence of instructions or actions
within a program that runs at least in part independent of
other actions within the program; -- such threads are
capable of being executed only in oprating systems
permittnig multitasking.
[PJC]

7. (Computers) A sequence of messages posted to an on-line
newsgroup or discussion group, dealing with the same
topic; -- messages in such a thread typically refer to a
previous posting, thus allowing their identification as
part of the thread. Some news-reading programs allow a
user to follow a single such thread independent of the
other postings to that newsgroup.
[PJC]

{Air thread}, the fine white filaments which are seen
floating in the air in summer, the production of spiders;
gossamer.

{Thread and thrum}, the good and bad together. [Obs.] --Shak.

{Thread cell} (Zool.), a lasso cell. See under {Lasso}.

{Thread herring} (Zool.), the gizzard shad. See under
{Gizzard}.

{Thread lace}, lace made of linen thread.

{Thread needle}, a game in which children stand in a row,
joining hands, and in which the outer one, still holding
his neighbor, runs between the others; -- called also
{thread the needle}.
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Thread \Thread\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Threaded}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Threading}.]
1. To pass a thread through the eye of; as, to thread a
needle.
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2. To pass or pierce through as a narrow way; also, to effect
or make, as one's way, through or between obstacles; to
thrid.
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Heavy trading ships . . . threading the Bosphorus.
--Mitford.
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They would not thread the gates. --Shak.
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3. To form a thread, or spiral rib, on or in; as, to thread a
screw or nut.
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