backslash
nounEtymology
From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (in writing lines from left to right), in contrast to the more common (forward) slash / (“solidus, oblique, diagonal”). The actual direction of (hand-)writing these marks can be reversed, when writing from left to right, top to baseline: the backslash forwards, the (forward) slash backwards. The naming can be explained as an anthropomorphism, assuming a bar (|) standing on the baseline, facing in the direction of writing, toppling backwards or forwards, respectively. The (new) Unicode name of \ is REVERSE SOLIDUS.
- derived from esclachier
Definitions
The punctuation mark \ (a left-leaning diagonal line).
The punctuation mark /
The punctuation mark /; a slash, forward slash.
- Also, avoid submenus^([sic]) that can confuse the audience—if you're giving lengthy Web site addresses full of backslashes, shorten it so only the Web site's home page is given.
To escape (a metacharacter) by prepending a backslash that serves as an escape character,…
To escape (a metacharacter) by prepending a backslash that serves as an escape character, thereby forming an escape sequence.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for backslash. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA