Multiprocessors

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A computing architecture that utilizes multiple processors to perform parallel processing, enhancing performance and efficiency in task execution
2. A system design involving several independent processors working together to execute tasks simultaneously, improving processing speed for complex applications
3. An arrangement where two or more processing units collaborate in computer systems to handle multiple instructions concurrently, boosting computational capabilities

Etymology: "Multiprocessor" is a plain compound built from two parts: the Latin-derived prefix "multi-", from "multus" meaning "many," and "processor," from the verb "process," which entered English in the 1500s and came to mean a device that carries out operations in the 1800s. The sense of a processor as an electronic device that executes instructions arrived with computing in the twentieth century, so the compound belongs to the age of electronic computers. The plural "multiprocessors" simply adds the regular "-s" to the noun, and it names more than one such system. Engineers used the word to contrast machines with a single central processing unit against designs that shared work across several units, a distinction that became important as chip manufacturers found it harder to keep raising the speed of a single processor.

Synonyms: multi-core processors, parallel processors