interrupt

A signal informing a program that an event has occured. When an interrupt is received the program stops normal execution and starts handling the interrupt by doing some special actions. There are two kinds of interrupts:

1. Hardware: e.g. a user types something on a keyboard, the program has to process the input of the user and act apropriately
2. Software: (also called an exception) e.g. when a program calls the operating system to do some disk I/O.

interrupt

1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event that interrupts normal processing and temporarily diverts flow-of-control through an "interrupt handler" routine. See also trap. 2. interj. A request for attention from a hacker. Often explicitly spoken. "Interrupt -- have you seen Joe recently?" See priority interrupt. 3. Under MS-DOS, nearly synonymous with `system call', because the OS and BIOS routines are both called using the INT instruction (see interrupt list) and because programmers so often have to bypass the OS (going directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable performance.

--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.

In`ter*rupt" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Interrupted; p. pr. & vb. n. Interrupting.] [L. interruptus, p. p. of interrumpere to interrupt; inter between + rumpere to break. See Rupture.]

1.

To break into, or between; to stop, or hinder by breaking in upon the course or progress of; to interfere with the current or motion of; to cause a temporary cessation of; as, to interrupt the remarks speaking.

Do not interrupt me in my course. Shak.

2.

To divide; to separate; to break the monotony of; as, the evenness of the road was not interrupted by a single hill.

© Webster 1913.

In`ter*rupt", p. a. [L. interruptus, p. p.]

Broken; interrupted.

Milton.

© Webster 1913.