bootstrap

Meanings

1. A loop (leather or other material) sewn at the side or top rear of a boot to help in pulling the boot on.
2. A means of advancing oneself or accomplishing something without aid.
3. The process by which the operating system of a computer is loaded into its memory.
4. The process necessary to compile the tools that will be used to compile the rest of the system or program.
5. Any method or instance of estimating properties of an estimator (such as its variance) by measuring those properties when sampling from an approximating distribution.

1. To help (oneself) without the aid of others.
2. To load the operating system into the memory of a computer. Usually shortened to boot.
3. To compile the tools that will be used to compile the rest of a system or program.
4. To build or put together (something) by first building or putting together the tools, building blocks, ideas, etc., necessary to build (the thing).
5. To employ a bootstrap method.
6. To expand or advance an activity or a collection based solely on previous actions, work, findings, etc.

Etymology

From boot + strap. The sense "pull up (without aid)" comes from the phrase pull oneself up by one's bootstraps.