Search Result for "system call":
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. an instruction that interrupts the program being executed and passes control to the supervisor;
[syn: system call, supervisor call instruction]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

system call n 1: an instruction that interrupts the program being executed and passes control to the supervisor [syn: system call, supervisor call instruction]
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

system call The mechanism used by an application program to request service from the operating system. System calls often use a special machine code instruction which causes the processor to change mode (e.g. to "supervisor mode" or "protected mode"). This allows the OS to perform restricted actions such as accessing hardware devices or the memory management unit. (1995-03-01)