torrent

(tôr'ənt, tŏr'-)
n.

1. A turbulent, swift-flowing stream.
2. A heavy downpour; a deluge.
3. A heavy, uncontrolled outpouring: a torrent of insults; torrents of mail.

[Latin torrēns, torrent-, from present participle of torrēre, to burn.]

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A popular technology for sharing very large files over the Internet, developed by Bram Cohen and released in 2001. BitTorrent does not use a centralized server to store the files. Each downloading user becomes a source for another user who wants the same file.

Every User Shares the Load

BitTorrent breaks a file into smaller chunks and keeps track of the users who have received the file. When you download a "torrent," you are also uploading a part of the file to another user. BitTorrent balances the load on the computer, because broadband download speeds are faster than upload speeds.

BitTorrent has become widely used for transferring huge program and movie files. In 2004, one estimate placed BitTorrent as a third of all Internet traffic. Although the specific volume for BitTorrent may vary, the combination of all video file sharing along with video streaming account for a huge chunk of Internet traffic. For more information, visit www.bittorrent.com. See peer-to-peer network, Napster and KaZaA.

File swapping systems have been architected in different ways as outlined in the following illustrations:

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noun

An abundant, usually overwhelming flow or fall, as of a river or rain: alluvion, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, downpour, flood, freshet, inundation, Niagara, overflow. Chiefly British spate. See big/small/amount.

n

Definition: heavy flow
Antonyms: drip

IN BRIEF: A violently fast stream of water (or other liquid).

Know that a word suddenly shot from the tongue is like an arrow shot from the bow. Son, that arrow won’t turn back on its way; you must damn the torrent at its source. — Mevlana Rumi (1207-1273)

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

For a list of words related to torrent, see:

• Inland Waterways and Lakes - torrent: stream with strong, rapid current

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See words rhyming with "torrent."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Torrent.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - rivende strøm, regnskyl

Nederlands (Dutch)
stortvloed

Français (French)
n. - torrent, (fig) flot

Deutsch (German)
n. - Wildbach, Sturzflut, Flut, Schwall

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χείμαρρος, ρέμα

Italiano (Italian)
torrente

Português (Portuguese)
n. - torrente (f)

Русский (Russian)
стремительный поток, ливень

Español (Spanish)
n. - torrente, ola, flujo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ström, fors, störtflod, störtregn, skyfall

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
急流, 连发, 洪流

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 急流, 連發, 洪流

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 급류, 격발

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 奔流, 急流, 土砂降り, ほとばしり
adj. - 急流の, 激しい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) جارف, وابل, سيل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮זרם, שטף, מטר, מבול‬

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