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==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from [[Latin]] interruptus, past participle of interrumpere, from inter- + rumpere to break
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_century 15th Century]
==Definitions==
*1: to stop or hinder by breaking in <interrupted the [[speaker]] with frequent [[questions]]>
*2: to break the [[uniformity]] or [[continuity]] of <a hot spell occasionally interrupted by a period of cool [[weather]]
==Description==
In computing, an '''interrupt''' is an asynchronous [[signal]] indicating the need for [[attention]] or a synchronous [[event]] in software indicating the need for a [[change]] in [[execution]].
A ''hardware interrupt'' causes the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit processor] to save its state of execution and begin execution of an interrupt handler. Software interrupts are usually implemented as instructions in the instruction set, which cause a context switch to an interrupt handler similar to a hardware interrupt.
Interrupts are a commonly used technique for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_multitasking computer multitasking], especially in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_computing real-time computing]. Such a system is said to be interrupt-driven.
An [[act]] of interrupting is referred to as an interrupt request (IRQ).
[[Category: Computer Science]]
[[Category: General Reference]]