bootstrap

v. accomplish by oneself, do without the help of others

n. strap or tie of a boot

As an allusion to lifting oneself up by one's own bootstraps, the term bootstrapping means using a special process to perform a task that one would be unable to do in general. In particular, it is used in the following contexts:Bootstrapping (computing), starting a computer or building complex tools after building simple tools that allow for the creation of the more complex tools. Shortened to booting to describe the process of starting up a computer.Bootstrapping (compilers), writing a compiler for a computer language using the language itself.Bootstrapping (linguistics), a theory of language acquisition.Bootstrapping (physics), axiomatic sets.Bootstrapping (statistics), a modern, computer-intensive, general purpose approach to statistical inference.Bootstrapping (law), a rule preventing hearsay in conspiracy cases.Bootstrapping (electronics), a form of positive feedback in analog circuit design.Bootstrapping (business), to start a business without external help (capital).Bootstrapping (finance), the method to create the spot rate curve.Bootstrapping (corporate finance), when a financial sponsor gains control of a majority of a target company's equity through the use of borrowed money or debt.Bootstrapping (science fiction), giving advanced technology to a race less technologically advanced than one's own.Operation Bootstrap ("Operación Manos a la Obra") is the name given to the ambitious projects which industrialized Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century.William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
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Noun
1. a strap that is looped and sewn to the top of a boot for pulling it on
(hypernym) strap
Verb
1. help oneself, often through improvised means
(hypernym) help, assist, aid

1. A technique or device designed to bring about a desired state by means of its own action. (188 ) 2. That part of a computer program that may be used to establish another version of the computer program. 3. The automatic procedure whereby the basic operating system of a processor is reloaded following a complete shutdown or loss of memory. 4. A set of instructions that cause additional instructions to be loaded until the complete computer program is in storage. 5. To initialize a system by means of a bootstrap.

1. <operating system> (From "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps") To load and initialise the operating system on a computer. Normally abbreviated to "boot".
See bootstrap loader.
2. (From "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps") to use a compiler to compile itself.
The usual process is to write an interpreter for a language, L, in an existing language, M. The compiler is then written in L and the interpreter is used to run it. This produces an executable for compiling programs in L from the source of the compiler in L.
This technique is often used to verify the correctness of a compiler. It was first used in the LISP community.
See also my favourite toy language.
(27 November 1995)