Source : WordNet®

bootstrap
     n : a strap that is looped and sewn to the top of a boot for
         pulling it on
     v : help oneself, often through improvised means

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

bootstrap
     
        1.  (From "to pull oneself up by one's
        bootstraps") To load and initialise the {operating system} on
        a computer.  Normally abbreviated to "{boot}".
     
        See {bootstrap loader}.
     
        2.  (From "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps")
        to use a {compiler} to compile itself.
     
        The usual process is to write an {interpreter} for a language,
        L, in an existing language, M.  The compiler is then written
        in L and the interpreter is used to run it.  This produces an
        {executable} for compiling programs in L from the source of
        the compiler in L.
     
        This technique is often used to verify the correctness of a
        compiler.  It was first used in the {LISP} community.
     
        See also {my favourite toy language}.
     
        (27 November 1995)