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task

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈtæsk// UK //tˈɑːsk// task Academic Archaic General-service

n. a specific piece of work that you need to do. It is often something that takes effort or is part of a larger job.

n. a discrete piece of work or a specific duty assigned to be completed. In computing contexts, it refers to a single unit of execution or a process managed by an operating system.


SIMPLE

My first task today is to answer all my emails.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager assigned each team member a specific task to ensure the project finished on time.

COMPLEX

Modern operating systems are designed to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, allocating CPU resources efficiently to prevent any single process from monopolizing the hardware.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English taske (“task, tax”), from Old Northern French tasque, (compare Old French variant tasche), from Medieval Latin tasca, alteration of taxa, from Latin taxō (“to censure; to charge”). Doublet of tax.

Usage

Often used with the verbs 'perform', 'undertake', or 'assign'.

Pitfall

I have many works to doI have many tasks to doLearners often use the uncountable noun 'work' when they mean the countable 'task' or 'job'.

Idioms1 entry

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