synchronous

[sing-kruh-nuh s] /ˈsɪŋ krə nəs/

adjective

occurring at the same time; coinciding in time; contemporaneous; simultaneous.

going on at the same rate and exactly together; recurring together.

Physics, Electricity. having the same frequency and zero phase difference.

Computers, Telecommunications. of, pertaining to, or operating using fixed-time intervals controlled by a clock (opposed to asynchronous).

Aerospace. geostationary.

Origin

1660-70; < Late Latin synchronus < Greek sýnchronos, equivalent to syn- syn- + chrón(os) time + -os adj. suffix; see -ous

Related forms

synchronously, adverb

synchronousness, noun

nonsynchronous, adjective

nonsynchronously, adverb

nonsynchronousness, noun

unsynchronous, adjective

unsynchronously, adverb

unsynchronousness, noun

Examples from the web for synchronous

The rest of nature is more synchronous when it comes to being born.
Real-time and speedy synchronous and asynchronous communication options abound.
The rotor's magnetic field is rotating at the same speed as that of the stator, as in a synchronous machine.
The duo's gravity puts them in a synchronous orbit, which means they face each other with the same side all the time.
Normally, brain activity is synchronous across this circuit's three regions.
It's rear-wheel drive, and those wheels are powered by a synchronous motor mounted in the differential housing.
As the lights came up, the crowd burst into the synchronous cacophony otherwise known as applause.
It is implicit in the primary synchronous projection of atomic matter everywhere at once.
In synchronous computers, the clock's basic pace must be slow enough to accommodate the slowest action within the group.
My path is to become a learning facilitator for synchronous online adult education.

British Dictionary definitions for synchronous

synchronous

/ˈsɪŋkrənəs/

adjective

occurring at the same time; contemporaneous

(physics) (of periodic phenomena, such as voltages) having the same frequency and phase

occurring or recurring exactly together and at the same rate: the synchronous flapping of a bird's wings

Derived Forms

synchronously, adverb
synchronousness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin synchronus, from Greek sunkhronos, from syn- + khronos time

Word Origin and History for synchronous

adj.

1660s, "existing or happening at the same time," from Late Latin synchronus "simultaneous," from Greek synchronos "happening at the same time," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + khronos "time" (see chrono-). Meaning "recurring at the same successive instants of time" is attested from 1670s.

synchronous in Medicine

synchronous syn·chro·nous (sĭng'krə-nəs, sĭn'-)
adj.
Occurring or existing at the same time.

synchronous in Technology

operating system, communications
1. Two or more processes that depend upon the occurrences of specific events such as common timing signals.
2. Occurring at the same time or at the same rate or with a regular or predictable time relationship or sequence.
Opposite: asynchronous.
(1996-04-11)