backslash en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈbækˌslæʃ/
Etymology
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.
Meanings
- The punctuation mark \ (a left-leaning diagonal line). (Common uses include (1) use as a delimiter in filepaths and (2) use as an escape character to mark literals.)
-
(proscribed, rare) 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.
2010, Frank Barnas, Ted White, Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing, Fifth Edition, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 114:[…] I was trying to find a web-site for which I had been given the following address: http://www.isop.ucla.edu/pacrim/pubs/korjournal.htm. […] I began to work backwards, removing first the last part of the address following the last backslash (/korjournal.htm).
2001, James T. Bretzke, Bibliography on East Asian Religion and Philosophy, Edwin Mellen Press, →ISBN, page 455:“So, do what I tell you. Open a browser window and type this in the menu^([sic]) bar: F-T-P colon backslash backslash euronews dot net backslash...” I pecked carefully at the keyboard as he dictated a URL that was about fifty characters long, […]
2010, Lee Vance, The Garden of Betrayal, Random House, published 2011, →ISBN, page 25:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| back slash | alternative | lexicographic | |
| backslashes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Relateds
Synonyms
slosh · whack · reverse solidus · backward slash
Translations (58)
el ανάστροφη κάθετος (punctuation mark) · de Backslash (punctuation mark) · fr barre oblique inversée (punctuation mark) · cmn 反斜槓 /反斜杠 (punctuation mark) · mt sinjal djagonali (punctuation mark) · ar مَائِلَة مُعَاكِسَة (punctuation mark) · nl schuine streep naar links (punctuation mark) · uk бе́кслеш (punctuation mark) · pl ukośnik wsteczny (punctuation mark) · nl omgekeerde schuine streep (punctuation mark) · nl terugstreep (punctuation mark) · ro linie oblică inversă (punctuation mark) · fr backslash (punctuation mark) · pt barra inversa (punctuation mark) · es barra oblicua inversa (punctuation mark) · mk лева коса црта (punctuation mark) · fo bakskák (punctuation mark) · pt contrabarra (punctuation mark) · sl leva poševnica (punctuation mark) · nl schuine streep naar achter (punctuation mark) · ja バックスラッシュ (punctuation mark) · ru бе́кслэ́ш (punctuation mark) · nl terugschrap (punctuation mark) · ro bară oblică inversă (punctuation mark) · hu fordított törtvonal (punctuation mark) · fr contre-oblique (punctuation mark) · cmn 反斜線 /反斜线 (punctuation mark) · ja 逆斜線 (punctuation mark) · nl backslash (punctuation mark) · ru обра́тный слэш (punctuation mark) · es contrabarra (punctuation mark) · nb bakstrek (punctuation mark) · tr ters bölü (punctuation mark) · pl ukośnik lewy (punctuation mark) · pt barra invertida (punctuation mark) · uk обе́рнена скісна́ ри́ска (punctuation mark) · de Rückwärtsschrägstrich (punctuation mark) · ru обра́тная коса́я (punctuation mark) · cs zpětné lomítko (punctuation mark) · it barra inversa (punctuation mark) · ko 역슬래시 (punctuation mark) · ru обра́тная коса́я черта́ (punctuation mark) · sk spätná lomka (punctuation mark) · es barra revertida (punctuation mark) · ko 역사선 (punctuation mark) · el αντιπλάγια (punctuation mark) · et kurakriips (punctuation mark) · et längkriips (punctuation mark) · es barra invertida (punctuation mark) · et kurakaldkriips (punctuation mark) · bg обра́тна черта́ (punctuation mark) · th แบ็กสแลช (punctuation mark) · pl ukośnik odwrotny (punctuation mark) · fi kenoviiva (punctuation mark) · es barra inversa (punctuation mark) · eo deklivo (punctuation mark) · fr antislash (punctuation mark) · sk opačná lomka (punctuation mark)