Adjacent Words

Process definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROC'ESS, n. [L. processus, from procedo. See Proceed.]
1. A proceeding or moving forward; progressive course; tendency; as the process of man's desire.
2. Proceedings; gradual progress; course; as the process of a war.
3. Operations; experiment; series of actions or experiments; as a chimical process.
4. Series of motions or changes in growth, decay, etc. in physical bodies; as the process of vegetation or of mineralization; the process of decomposition.
5. Course; continual flux or passage; as the process of time.
6. Methodical management; series of measures or proceedings.
The process of the great day--is described by our Savior.
7. In law, the whole course of proceedings, in a cause, real or personal, civil or criminal, from the original writ to the end of the suit. Original process is the means taken to compel the defendant to appear in court. Mesne process is that which issues, pending the suit, upon some collateral or interlocutory matter. Final process is the process of execution.
8. In anatomy, any protuberance, eminence or projecting part of a bone.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a particular course of action intended to achieve a result; "the procedure of obtaining a driver's license"; "it was a process of trial and error" [syn: procedure, process]
2: (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents; "the process of thinking"; "the cognitive operation of remembering" [syn: process, cognitive process, mental process, operation, cognitive operation]
3: a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant [syn: summons, process]
4: a mental process that you are not directly aware of; "the process of denial" [syn: process, unconscious process]
5: a natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant; "a bony process" [syn: process, outgrowth, appendage]
6: a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states; "events now in process"; "the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls" [syn: process, physical process] v
1: subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition; "process cheese"; "process hair"; "treat the water so it can be drunk"; "treat the lawn with chemicals" ; "treat an oil spill" [syn: process, treat]
2: deal with in a routine way; "I'll handle that one"; "process a loan"; "process the applicants"
3: perform mathematical and logical operations on (data) according to programmed instructions in order to obtain the required information; "The results of the elections were still being processed when he gave his acceptance speech"
4: institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against; "He was warned that the district attorney would process him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination" [syn: action, sue, litigate, process]
5: march in a procession; "They processed into the dining room" [syn: march, process]
6: shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal" [syn: work, work on, process]
7: deliver a warrant or summons to someone; "He was processed by the sheriff" [syn: serve, process, swear out]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural processes) Etymology: Middle English proces, from Anglo-French procés, from Latin processus, from procedere Date: 14th century 1. a. progress, advance <in the process of time> b. something going on ; proceeding 2. a. (1) a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result <the process of growth> (2) a continuing natural or biological activity or function <such life processes as breathing> b. a series of actions or operations conducing to an end; especially a continuous operation or treatment especially in manufacture 3. a. the whole course of proceedings in a legal action b. the summons, mandate, or writ used by a court to compel the appearance of the defendant in a legal action or compliance with its orders 4. a prominent or projecting part of an organism or organic structure <a bone process> <a nerve cell process> 5. conk VI II. transitive verb Date: 1532 1. a. to proceed against by law ; prosecute b. (1) to take out a summons against (2) to serve a summons on 2. a. to subject to a special process or treatment (as in the course of manufacture or film development) b. (1) to subject to or handle through an established usually routine set of procedures <process insurance claims> (2) to integrate sensory information received so that an action or response is generated <the brain processes visual images relayed from the retina> (3) to subject to examination or analysis <computers process data> c. to work (hair) into a conk III. adjective Date: 1888 1. treated or made by a special process especially when involving synthesis or artificial modification 2. made by or used in a mechanical or photomechanical duplicating process 3. of or involving illusory effects usually introduced during processing of the film IV. intransitive verb Etymology: back-formation from ¹procession Date: 1814 chiefly British to move in a procession

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a course of action or proceeding, esp. a series of stages in manufacture or some other operation. 2 the progress or course of something (in process of construction). 3 a natural or involuntary operation or series of changes (the process of growing old). 4 an action at law; a summons or writ. 5 Anat., Zool., & Bot. a natural appendage or outgrowth on an organism. --v.tr. 1 handle or deal with by a particular process. 2 treat (food, esp. to prevent decay) (processed cheese). 3 Computing operate on (data) by means of a program. Phrases and idioms: in process of time as time goes on. process server a sheriff's officer who serves writs. Derivatives: processable adj. Etymology: ME f. OF proces f. L processus (as PROCEED) 2. v.intr. walk in procession. Etymology: back-form. f. PROCESSION

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Service Serv"ice, n. [OE. servise, OF. servise, service, F. service, from L. servitium. See Serve.] 1. The act of serving; the occupation of a servant; the performance of labor for the benefit of another, or at another's command; attendance of an inferior, hired helper, slave, etc., on a superior, employer, master, or the like; also, spiritual obedience and love. ``O God . . . whose service is perfect freedom.'' --Bk. of Com. Prayer. Madam, I entreat true peace of you, Which I will purchase with my duteous service. --Shak. God requires no man's service upon hard and unreasonable terms. --Tillotson. 2. The deed of one who serves; labor performed for another; duty done or required; office. I have served him from the hour of my nativity, . . . and have nothing at his hands for my service but blows. --Shak. This poem was the last piece of service I did for my master, King Charles. --Dryden. To go on the forlorn hope is a service of peril; who will understake it if it be not also a service of honor? --Macaulay. 3. Office of devotion; official religious duty performed; religious rites appropriate to any event or ceremonial; as, a burial service. The outward service of ancient religion, the rites, ceremonies, and ceremonial vestments of the old law. --Coleridge. 4. Hence, a musical composition for use in churches. 5. Duty performed in, or appropriate to, any office or charge; official function; hence, specifically, military or naval duty; performance of the duties of a soldier. When he cometh to experience of service abroad . . . ne maketh a worthy soldier. --Spenser. 6. Useful office; advantage conferred; that which promotes interest or happiness; benefit; avail. The stork's plea, when taken in a net, was the service she did in picking up venomous creatures. --L'Estrange. 7. Profession of respect; acknowledgment of duty owed. ``Pray, do my service to his majesty.'' --Shak. 8. The act and manner of bringing food to the persons who eat it; order of dishes at table; also, a set or number of vessels ordinarily used at table; as, the service was tardy and awkward; a service of plate or glass. There was no extraordinary service seen on the board. --Hakewill. 9. (Law) The act of bringing to notice, either actually or constructively, in such manner as is prescribed by law; as, the service of a subp[oe]na or an attachment. 10. (Naut.) The materials used for serving a rope, etc., as spun yarn, small lines, etc. 11. (Tennis) The act of serving the ball. 12. Act of serving or covering. See Serve, v. t., 13. Service book, a prayer book or missal. Service line (Tennis), a line parallel to the net, and at a distance of 21 feet from it. Service of a writ, process, etc. (Law), personal delivery or communication of the writ or process, etc., to the party to be affected by it, so as to subject him to its operation; the reading of it to the person to whom notice is intended to be given, or the leaving of an attested copy with the person or his attorney, or at his usual place of abode. Service of an attachment (Law), the seizing of the person or goods according to the direction. Service of an execution (Law), the levying of it upon the goods, estate, or person of the defendant. Service pipe, a pipe connecting mains with a dwelling, as in gas pipes, and the like. --Tomlinson. To accept service. (Law) See under Accept. To see service (Mil.), to do duty in the presence of the enemy, or in actual war.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Process Proc"ess, n. [F. proc[`e]s, L. processus. See Proceed.] 1. The act of proceeding; continued forward movement; procedure; progress; advance. ``Long process of time.'' --Milton. The thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns. --Tennyson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(processes, processing, processed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A process is a series of actions which are carried out in order to achieve a particular result. There was total agreement to start the peace process as soon as possible... The best way to proceed is by a process of elimination. N-COUNT: oft supp N, N of n 2. A process is a series of things which happen naturally and result in a biological or chemical change. It occurs in elderly men, apparently as part of the ageing process... N-COUNT 3. When raw materials or foods are processed, they are prepared in factories before they are used or sold. ...fish which are processed by freezing, canning or smoking... The material will be processed into plastic pellets. ...diets high in refined and processed foods. VERB: be V-ed, be V-ed into n, V-ed • Process is also a noun. ...the cost of re-engineering the production process. N-COUNT • processing America sent cotton to England for processing. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 4. When people process information, they put it through a system or into a computer in order to deal with it. ...facilities to process the data, and the right to publish the results... VERB: V n • processing ...data processing... N-UNCOUNT: supp N see also word processing 5. When people are processed by officials, their case is dealt with in stages and they pass from one stage of the process to the next. Patients took more than two hours to be processed through the department. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed 6. If you are in the process of doing something, you have started to do it and are still doing it. The administration is in the process of drawing up a peace plan... PHRASE: V inflects, usu v-link PHR 7. If you are doing something and you do something else in the process, you do the second thing as part of doing the first thing. You have to let us struggle for ourselves, even if we must die in the process. PHRASE: PHR with cl

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Course, progress, advance, continued movement, train. 2. Operation, procedure, proceeding, action, performance, step, transaction, measure, conduct, management, series of measures, mode of operation, course, continuous experiment. 3. (Law.) Suit, trial, action, case. 4. (Anat.) Projection, protuberance.

Moby Thesaurus

Afro, MO, act, activity, algorithm, alter, analog process, answer, approach, arrange, attack, barber, behavior pattern, bench warrant, blow up, blueprint, bob, capias, carve, caveat, change, chisel, clear for action, clear the decks, coif, coiffure, cold wave, conk, convert, course, course of action, cruise, cultivate, cure, deal with, death warrant, deploy, develop, development, digital process, dispose of, dress, enlarge, excrescence, excrescency, extract, fare, fashion, feeling, fieri facias, fix, fix up, form, function, get ready, go, grow, guise, habere facias possessionem, haircut, hairdo, hairstyle, handle, harvest, headdress, hie, home permanent, hunting, injunction, input oscillation, interdict, journey, line, line of action, lines, machine, make arrangements, make preparations, make ready, manage, mandamus, mandate, mandatory injunction, manipulate, manner, manner of working, marshal, means, measure, method, methodology, mill, mine, mittimus, mobilize, mode, mode of operation, mode of procedure, modify, modus, modus operandi, motion, natural, nisi prius, notice, notification, offset, operation, order, organize, oscillatory behavior, overcorrection of error, overshoot, pass, permanent, permanent wave, plan, pompadour, practice, prearrange, precept, prep, prepare, pretreat, print, procedure, proceed, proceeding, procure materials, prohibitory injunction, provide, pump, push on, put in shape, raise, ready, ready up, rear, refine, repair, routine, search warrant, self-excitation, settle preliminaries, shingle, smelt, step, stock, stock up, store, style, system, tack, take care of, tan, technique, the drill, the how, the way of, tone, transform, travel, treat, trim, try out, utilize, warrant, warrant of arrest, warrant of attorney, wave, way, wise, writ