thread

Main Entry:: ¹thread
Pronunciation:: \ˈthred\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English thred, from Old English thrǣd; akin to Old High German drāt wire, Old English thrāwan to cause to twist or turn — more at throw
Date:: before 12th century

1 a: a filament, a group of filaments twisted together, or a filamentous length formed by spinning and twisting short textile fibers into a continuous strand b: a piece of thread2 a: any of various natural filaments <the threads of a spiderweb> b: a slender stream (as of water) c: a projecting helical rib (as in a fitting or on a pipe) by which parts can be screwed together : screw thread3: something continuous or drawn out: as a: a line of reasoning or train of thought that connects the parts in a sequence (as of ideas or events) <lost the thread of the story> b: a continuing element <a thread of melancholy marked all his writing> c: a series of newsgroup messages following a single topic4: a tenuous or feeble support <hung on by a thread>5plural : clothing

— thread·less

\-ləs\ adjective

— thread·like

\-ˌlīk\ adjective

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