What does spawn mean in this sentence?

Question

When referring to Linux or Unix, init is a program loaded by the kernel that spawns all other processes and typically uses PID 1.

What does spawn mean in this sentence? Thank you.

To spawn: . To produce or give rise to, ( generate). http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spawn — , Aug 25 '15 at 15:07
Or to invoke certain processes and elements, in case you were from a programming background. — Invoker, Aug 25 '15 at 15:12
This is a question for Stack Overflow or Super User, not this exchange. — Hot Licks, Aug 25 '15 at 23:37

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 25 '15 at 15:24

The word spawn is being used as a transitive verb:

: to cause (something) to develop or begin : to produce or create (something)
_{Merriam-Webster}

In UNIX operating systems, this is accomplished by self-replication, and then the clone (the one that does not have the same process id as the original, usually called the child) allows itself to be usurped by a different program (executable).

What does spawn mean in this sentence?

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