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 thread
2 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 thread
3 : 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 topic
4 : a tenuous or feeble support <hung on by a thread>
5 plural : clothing

— thread·less \-ləs\ adjective

— thread·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective