atomic : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: atomic	by the DICT Development Group
4 results for atomic
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
atomic adj of or relating to or comprising atoms; "atomic structure"; "atomic hydrogen" (weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy; "nuclear war"; "nuclear weapons"; "atomic bombs" Synonym(s): nuclear, atomic Antonym(s): conventional immeasurably small
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Atomic \Atom"ic\, Atomical \Atom"ical\, a. [Cf. F. atomique.] 1. Of or pertaining to atoms. 2. Extremely minute; tiny. {Atomic* philosophy}, or {Doctrine of atoms}, a system which, assuming that atoms are endued with gravity and motion, accounted thus for the origin and formation of all things. This philosophy was first broached by Leucippus, was developed by Democritus, and afterward improved by Epicurus, and hence is sometimes denominated the Epicurean philosophy. {Atomic theory}, or the {Doctrine of definite proportions} (Chem.), teaches that chemical combinations take place between the supposed ultimate particles or atoms of bodies, in some simple ratio, as of one to one, two to three, or some other, always expressible in whole numbers. {Atomic weight} (Chem.), the weight of the atom of an element as compared with the weight of the atom of hydrogen, taken as a standard.
From Jargon File (4.2.0, 31 JAN 2000) [jargon]:
atomic adj. [from Gk. `atomos', indivisible] 1. Indivisible; cannot be split up. For example, an instruction may be said to do several things `atomically', i.e., all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used esp. to convey that an operation cannot be screwed up by interrupts. "This routine locks the file and increments the file's semaphore atomically." 2. [primarily techspeak] Guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all, usu. refers to database transactions. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out," as the database must not be left in an inconsistent state. Computer usage, in either of the above senses, has none of the connotations that `atomic' has in mainstream English (i.e. of particles of matter, nuclear explosions etc.).
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
atomic (From Greek "atomos", indivisible) Indivisible; cannot be split up. For example, an instruction may be said to do several things "atomically", i.e. all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used especially to convey that an operation cannot be interrupted. An atomic {data type} has no internal structure visible to the program. It can be represented by a flat {domain} (all elements are equally defined). Machine {integers} and {Booleans} are two examples. An atomic {database transaction} is one which is guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out" to prevent the database being left in an inconsistent state. [{Jargon File}] (2000-04-03)