procedure

procedure
    n 1: a particular course of action intended to achieve a result;
         "the procedure of obtaining a driver's license"; "it was a
         process of trial and error" [syn: {procedure}, {process}]
    2: a process or series of acts especially of a practical or
       mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work; "the
       operations in building a house"; "certain machine tool
       operations" [syn: {operation}, {procedure}]
    3: a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program
       [syn: {routine}, {subroutine}, {subprogram}, {procedure},
       {function}]
    4: a mode of conducting legal and parliamentary proceedings
    

Procedure \Pro*ce"dure\, n. [F. proc['e]dure. See {Proceed}.]
   1. The act or manner of proceeding or moving forward;
      progress; process; operation; conduct. "The true procedure
      of conscience." --South.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A step taken; an act performed; a proceeding; the steps
      taken in an action or other legal proceeding. "Gracious
      procedures." --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. That which results; issue; product. [Obs.] --Bacon.
      [1913 Webster]
    

subroutine
procedure
routine

   <programming> (Or "procedure") A sequence of {instructions}
   for performing a particular task.  Most programming languages,
   including most {machine languages}, allow the programmer to
   define subroutines.  This allows the subroutine code to be
   called from multiple places, even from within itself (in which
   case it is called {recursive}).  The programming language
   implementation takes care of returning control to (just after)
   the calling location, usually with the support of call and
   return instructions at {machine language} level.

   Most languages also allow {arguments} to be passed to the
   subroutine, and one, or occasionally more, {return values} to
   be passed back.

   A {function} is often very similar to a subroutine, the main
   difference being that it is called chiefly for its return
   value, rather than for any {side effects}.

   (1996-10-01)
    

156 Moby Thesaurus words for "procedure":
      MO, SOP, act, action, actions, activity, acts, address,
      affectation, air, algorithm, approach, arrangement, attack,
      bearing, behavior, behavior pattern, behavioral norm,
      behavioral science, blueprint, blueprinting, calculation, carriage,
      charting, common practice, comportment, conception, conduct,
      contrivance, course, course of action, creed, culture pattern,
      custom, demeanor, deportment, design, device, disposition, doing,
      doings, drill, enterprise, envisagement, fashion, figuring,
      folkway, foresight, forethought, form, game, gestures, goings-on,
      graphing, ground plan, guidelines, guiding principles, guise, idea,
      intention, layout, line, line of action, lines, lineup,
      long-range plan, maintien, maneuver, manner, manner of working,
      manners, mapping, master plan, matter of course, means, measure,
      method, methodology, methods, mien, mode, mode of operation,
      mode of procedure, modus operandi, modus vivendi, motion, motions,
      move, movements, moves, observable behavior, operation,
      operations research, order, organization, pattern, plan,
      plan of action, planning, planning function, platform, poise,
      policy, polity, port, pose, position paper, posture, practice,
      praxis, prearrangement, prescribed form, presence, principles,
      proceeding, process, program, program of action, rationalization,
      routine, rule, schedule, schema, schematism, schematization,
      scheme, scheme of arrangement, set form, setup, social science,
      standard operating procedure, standing orders, step,
      strategic plan, strategy, style, system, systematization, tack,
      tactical plan, tactics, technique, the big picture, the drill,
      the how, the picture, the way of, tone, tradition, way,
      way of life, ways, ways and means, wise, wont, working plan