misfetch

English

Etymology

mis- +‎ fetch

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /mɪsˈfɛtʃ/
• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪsfɛtʃ/

Noun

misfetch (plural misfetches)

1. (computing) An error that occurs when the wrong block of code is fetched in advance.
   • 1996, Parallel Architectures and Compilation Techniques, page 63:

     It also shows the conditional branch misprediction rate ( due to both misprediction and target address misfetch), the return misprediction rate, and the BTB miss rate .

   • 1998, International Symposium on Computer Architecture, Conference Proceedings: June 27 - July 1, 1998, Barcelona, Spain, page 36:

     All branches and calls cause a misfetch when the branch is not present in the BTB.

   • 2010, Jean-Loup Baer, Microprocessor Architecture, page 148:

     Unfortunately, the typical optimizations for cachelike structures, such as larger capacity or associativity, will not help in decreasing misfetches.

2. (nautical) The act of fetching to the wrong location.
   • 1980, Hervey Benham, The Salvagers, page 69:

     Sometimes you had to work the weather side on account of that being too far to get across the sand to a wreck from the leeward. That wasn't very nice, because you hadn't got no shelter and if you made a misfetch you'd soon be up alongside the wreck yourself.

Verb

misfetch (third-person singular simple present misfetches, present participle misfetching, simple past and past participle misfetched)

1. (computing) To fetch the wrong block of code or instruction.
   • 1989, Michael Slater, Microprocessor-based Design, page 268:

     However, a single misfetched instruction can cause the system to begin executing code from nonexistent or improper memory locations, and it is unlikely to recover on its own.

   • 2010, Jean-Loup Baer, Microprocessor Architecture, page 149:

     With Missf and Missp the percentages of branches that are misfetched and mispredicted, respectively (some branches can be both, as shown in two rows of Table 4.2), the contribution of the CPI due to branch execution, or the branch execution penalty bep expressed as a number of cycles, can be written in a first approximation (see the exercises) as […]

   • 2012, Michel Dubois, Murali Annavaram, Per Stenstrom, Parallel Computer Organization and Design, page 139:

     The number of cycles wasted on each mispredicted or misfetched branch is larger than in a RISC processor.

2. (nautical) To steer to the incorrect location when trying to fetch somewhere.
   • 1986, International Journal on Policy and Information - Volume 10, page 41:

     Furthermore, the direct container handling at shipside can also be controlled by the ACYAS in order to prevent containers from misfetching.

   • 1989, Dick Durham, The Last Sailorman, page 85:

     In Halfway Reach we mis-fetched and narrowly missed colliding with a fast moving freighter.