syscall

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noun

A software request for a service from the operating system kernel.

UncommonScrabble 12

Meanings

nounsyscall (plural syscalls)

plural syscalls

  1. computingA software request for a service from the operating system kernel.

    At an assembly code level, when a process wants to make a syscall, it will load the syscall number into the EAX register[…]

    2009, Jatinder N. D. Gupta, Sushil K. Sharma, Handbook of research on information security and assurance
    1 more example

    In addition, the relatively slow scalar CPU of the SX-9 and high cost of context switches (interrupts, syscalls) due to the huge context that needs to be stored away (like vector registers) contribute their part to the very poor UDP performance.

    2010, Michael Resch, Katharina Benkert, Xin Wang, High Performance Computing on Vector Systems 2010, page 57

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“syscall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/syscall. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “syscall,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/syscall.

Source: syscall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.