coprocessor

coprocessor

Additional processor used in some personal computers to perform specialized tasks such as extensive arithmetic calculations or processing of graphical displays. The coprocessor is often designed to do such tasks more efficiently than the main processor, resulting in far greater speeds for the computer as a whole.

---

coprocessor

A secondary processor used to speed up operations by handling some of the workload of the main CPU. See math coprocessor and graphics coprocessor.

---

coprocessor [kō′prä‚ses·ər]

(computer science)

A processing unit that works together with a primary central processing unit to speed a computer's execution of time-consuming operations.

---

coprocessor - Any computer processor which assists the main processor (the "CPU") by performing certain special functions, usually much faster than the main processor could perform them in software. The coprocessor often decodes instructions in parallel with the main processor and executes only those instructions intended for it. The most common example is a floating point coprocessor (or "FPU"), others are graphics and networking.