thread

thread, a fine twist of fibrous material, distinguished from yarn in general by being smoother, stronger, and more pliable; it is also better suited to sewing, embroidery, and lace making. Sewing or spool cotton is made by twisting several fine strands into three-cord or six-cord thread, the latter being three two-ply strands twisted together. The size is controlled by the twisting process. The fine linen thread used in making expensive laces is spun by hand and is very costly. Synthetic threads, such as nylon, are most often used for heavy-duty sewing in carpets, shoes, and heavy canvases. Many ordinary sewing threads now contain some proportion of synthetic fiber.

Tightly twisted yarn consisting of several strands that has a circular cross-section and is used in commercial and home sewing machines and for hand sewing. Thread is usually wound on spools, with thread size (degree of fineness) indicated on the spool end. Cotton thread can be used with fabrics made from yarn of plant origin, such as cotton and linen, and with rayon (made from cellulose, a plant substance). Silk thread is suitable for silks and wools, both of animal origin. Nylon and polyester threads are appropriate for synthetics and for knits with a high degree of stretch.

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A thread is a kind of thin yarn used for textiles and sewing. Thread may also refer to:

• Thread (unit of measurement), a cotton yarn measure, equal to 54 inches
• Threaded discussion, a group of messages or postings to a newsgroup, mailing list or Internet forum on a single topic
• Thread (computer science), a sequence of instructions which may execute in parallel with other threads
• Screw thread, which turns rotation into linear movement, by a ridge running in a spiral down the length of a cylinder
• Threads, a 1984 BBC television movie concerning the after-effects of a nuclear attack on Sheffield, UK
• Thread (Pern), a destructive mindless alien spore in the Dragonriders of Pern series of science fiction novels
• Threads (Stargate SG-1), a Season 8 Stargate SG-1 episode
• Thread, a 1999 album by Wideawake
• Thread, a poem by Patti Smith from her 1978 book Babel