thunk

Noun

thunk (plural thunks)

1. (functional programming) A delayed computation.
   • Not surprisingly, a thunk is more expensive to store than a single number[…].2009, Bryan O'Sullivan, John Goerzen, Donald Bruce Stewart, Real World Haskell, O'Reilly, page 97
2. In the Scheme programming language, a function or procedure taking no arguments.
3. A specialized subroutine that one software module uses to execute code in another module.
   • If the provider of these DLLs has not updated the code to a 32-bit environment, you will have to switch to a new 32-bit library or write thunks between your 32-bit code and the 16-bit DLL.1995 October 10, PC Mag, volume 14, number 17, page 326

Verb (2)

thunk (third-person singular simple present thunks, present participle thunking, simple past and past participle thunked)

1. (transitive, functional programming) To delay (a computation).
   • Not surprisingly, a thunk is more expensive to store than a single number, and the more complex the thunked expression, the more space it needs. For something cheap such as arithmetic, thunking an expression is more computationally expensive than calculating it immediately.2009, Bryan O'Sullivan, John Goerzen, Donald Bruce Stewart, Real World Haskell, O'Reilly, page 97
2. (transitive) To execute (code) by means of a thunk.
   • This efficiency is offset by the fact that some of the calls made by Win32 apps must now be thunked down to 16 bits, something that isn't necessary in Windows NT and OS/2.1995 May 16, Andrew Schulman, “DOS is Dead? Look Again”, in PC Mag, volume 14, number 9, page 150

Interjection

1. Representing the dull sound of the impact of a heavy object striking another and coming to an immediate standstill, with neither object being broken by the impact.

Verb (1)

thunk (third-person singular simple present thunks, present participle thunking, simple past and past participle thunked)

1. To strike against something, without breakage, making a "thunk" sound.
   • I was thunked on the head by his stick.