"real-time" = ?(of a message) instantaneous; "palfrey" = medieval warhorse; charger

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:09 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This a.m. on CNN somebody mentioned that you can now get "real-time Tweets
> on your Blackberry."  Sounds like the start of the Canterbury Tales.

Seems to fit the definition of "real-time" given in many current
dictionaries, such as NOAD2:

---
_real-time_ (Computing) of or relating to a system in which input data
is processed within milliseconds so that it is available virtually
immediately as feedback, e.g., in a missile guidance or airline
booking system: _real-time signal processing_.
---

OED's got it from 1946.


--Ben Zimmer

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