nice

Run a command with modified scheduling priority, print or modify the scheduling priority of a job.

SYNTAX
      nice [Option]... [Command [Arg]...]

OPTION
      -n MyADJUSTMENT
      -MyADJUSTMENT
      --adjustment=MyADJUSTMENT

 Priority can be adjusted by `nice' over the range
  of -20 (the highest priority) 
  to 19 (the lowest)

If no arguments are given, `nice' prints the current scheduling priority, which it inherited.

Otherwise, `nice' runs the given Command with its scheduling priority adjusted.

If no option for MyADJUSTMENT is given, the priority of the command is incremented by 10. You must have appropriate privileges to specify a negative adjustment.

Because most shells have a built-in command by the same name, using the unadorned command name in a script or interactively may get you different functionality than that described here.

"Work is achieved by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence" - Laurence J. Peter (The Peter Principle)

Related commands:

nohup - Run a command immune to hangups
sync - Synchronize data on disk with memory
sleep - Delay for a specified time