WAIT(C)                                    UNIX System V



     Name
          wait - awaits completion of background processes


     Syntax
          wait


     Description
          Waits  until  all  background  processes  started  with   an
          ampersand   (&)  have  finished,  and  reports  on  abnormal
          terminations.

          wait is built in to csh and sh.

          Because the wait(S) system call  must  be  executed  in  the
          parent  process,  the  shell  itself  executes wait, without
          creating a new process.


     See Also
          csh(C), sh(C)


     Notes
          Not all the processes of  a  pipeline  with  three  or  more
          stages  are children of the shell, and thus cannot be waited
          for.


     Standards Conformance
          wait is conformant with:

          AT&T SVID Issue 2, Select Code 307-127;
          and The X/Open Portability Guide II of January 1987.


     (printed 8/24/89)                                  WAIT(C)