Asynchronous
/eɪˈsɪŋ.krə.nəs/noun
Occurring or operating at different times rather than simultaneously.
Did you know?The word combines Greek a- (“not”), syn- (“together”), and khronos (“time”); khronos is distinct from Kronos, the Titan whose name became confused with time in later tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sem-
“One; together; forming the ancient source of Greek syn-”
Ancient Greek
Greek
a- + σύν + χρόνος
“Not + together + time”
Late Greek
Greek
ἀσύγχρονος (asýnkhronos)
“Not occurring at the same time; out of synchrony”
17th Century
New Latin
asynchronus
“Not simultaneous; occurring at different times”
17th Century
English
asynchronous
“Not synchronous or simultaneous”
Modern English
English
asynchronous
“Operating or occurring independently in time, especially in computing and communication”