n. & v.
--n.
1. a a spun-out filament of cotton, silk, or glass etc.; yarn. b a length of this.
2 a thin cord of twisted yarns used esp. in sewing and weaving.
3 anything regarded as threadlike with reference to its continuity or connectedness (the thread of life; lost the thread of his argument).
4 the spiral ridge of a screw.
5 (in pl.) sl. clothes.
6 a thin seam or vein of ore.
--v.tr.
1. pass a thread through the eye of (a needle).
2 put (beads) on a thread.
3 arrange (material in a strip form, e.g. film or magnetic tape) in the proper position on equipment.
4 make (one's way) carefully through a crowded place, over a difficult route, etc.
5 streak (hair etc.) as with threads.
6 form a screw-thread on.
Phrases and idioms:
hang by a thread be in a precarious state, position, etc. thread mark a mark in the form of a thin line made in banknote paper with highly coloured silk fibres to prevent photographic counterfeiting.
Derivatives:
threader n. threadlike adj.
Etymology: OE thr{aelig}d f. Gmc