multicast

English

Etymology

Blend of multiple +‎ broadcast.

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

multicast (plural multicasts)

1. (computing, networking) The simultaneous transmission of data to several destinations on a network.

   Coordinate term: broadcast

   multicast address

   • 2009, Robert Rümmler, Alexander Daniel Gluhak, Hamid Aghvami, Multicast in Third-Generation Mobile Networks: Services, Mechanisms and Performance, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 14:

     On an LAN, each host's network interface monitors the LAN and accepts packets addressed to the multicast address that defines the host group to which the packets belong. Unlike broadcasting, multicasting allows each host to choose whether it wants to accept multicast packets.

Derived terms

• nonmulticast
• multicasting

Adjective

multicast (not comparable)

1. (programming, of a delegate) Having multiple targets, such that a call to the delegate triggers a call to each target.
   • 2005, Jesse Liberty, Programming C#: Building .NET Applications with C#:

     The result is a new multicast delegate that invokes both of the original implementing methods.

See also

• singlecast
• unicast