different between synchronize vs synthesize

English

Alternative forms

• synchronise (non-Oxford British spelling)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ?????????? (sunkhroníz?).

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /?s??.k??.na??z/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?s??.k??.na?z/

Verb

synchronize (third-person singular simple present synchronizes, present participle synchronizing, simple past and past participle synchronized)

1. (transitive) To cause two or more events or actions to happen at exactly the same time or same rate, or in a time-coordinated way.
   1. (intransitive) To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing.
      • 1839, Thomas De Quincey, Philosophy of Roman History

        The path of this great empire, through its arch of progress, synchronized with that of Christianity.

   2. (transitive) To cause (video and audio) to play in a coordinated way.
2. (transitive) To set (a clock or watch) to display the same time as another.

   We synchronized our watches and agreed to meet at four o'clock precisely.

3. (computing, transitive, intransitive) To cause (a set of files, data, or settings) on one computer or device to be (and try to remain) the same as on another.
4. (intransitive, of inanimate entities) To agree, be coordinated with, or complement well.
5. (transitive) To coordinate or combine.

Derived terms

Related terms

• SMIL

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• synthesise (UK)

Etymology

synthesis +? -ize. First attested in 1830.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?n??sa?z/

Verb

synthesize (third-person singular simple present synthesizes, present participle synthesizing, simple past and past participle synthesized)

1. (transitive) To combine two or more things to produce a new product.
2. (intransitive, of two or more things) To be combined producing a new, more complex product.
3. (transitive, chemistry) To produce a substance by chemical synthesis.
4. (intransitive, chemistry, of a substance) To be produced by chemical synthesis.

Derived terms

• photosynthesize
• synthesizer

Translations