n.
Pronunciation: ' thred
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thred, from Old English thr ǣ d; akin to Old High German dr ā t wire, Old English thr ā wan 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 thread s 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 \ -l ə s \ adjective
– thread · like \ - ˌ l ī k \ adjective