< hardware > /tit'ee/ ( ITS pronunciation, but some Unix people say it this way as well; this pronunciation is not considered to have sexual undertones), /T T Y/
1. teletypewriter .
2. (Especially Unix ) Any terminal at all; sometimes used to refer to the particular terminal controlling a given job (it is also the name of a Unix command which outputs the name of the current controlling terminal).
3. ( Unix ) Any serial port , whether or not the device connected to it is a terminal; so called because under Unix such devices have names of the form tty*. Ambiguity between senses 2 and 3 is common but seldom bothersome.
4. A TDD .
[ Jargon File ]
(1995-11-23)