Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

type-ahead
     
         The facility where the user can type more
        characters before the system has fully responded to those
        already typed.  Type-ahead is common on most current systems.
        It allows the user to type without worrying that the computer
        may miss input because it is temporarily busy,
        e.g. reformating a page, checking spelling, or simply
        suffering from network latency.  There is usually some limit
        to the amount of input the system can buffer, beyond which it
        _will_ lose input.
     
        [Equivalent term for {speech recognition}?]
     
        (2003-06-15)