green thread

noun

A thread of execution that is scheduled by a virtual machine, not natively by the underlying operating system.

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Meanings

noungreen thread (plural green threads)

plural green threads

  1. computingA thread of execution that is scheduled by a virtual machine, not natively by the underlying operating system.

    This is an example of M:N threading. Many tasks can run concurrently on one OS thread. Fibers and green threads are often referred to as stackful coroutines.

    2024, Carl Fredrik Samson, Asynchronous Programming in Rust […] , Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 54

Origin

First used in an early version of the Java programming language (1997–2000).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

green thread. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20thread

MLA

“green thread.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20thread. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green thread,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20thread.

Source: green thread on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.