backslash
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
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.
Base: back
Inflected forms:
form: backslashes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: back slash
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: backslashes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: backslashing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: backslashed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: backslashed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: back slash
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: The punctuation mark \ (a left-leaning diagonal line).
pos: noun
gloss: The punctuation mark /; a slash, forward slash.
pos: noun
tags: proscribed
rare
examples: […] 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).
“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, […]
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.
gloss: To escape (a metacharacter) by prepending a backslash that serves as an escape character, thereby forming an escape sequence.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: مَائِلَة مُعَاكِسَة
roman: māʔila muʕākisa
lang: Bulgarian
word: обра́тна черта́
roman: obrátna čertá
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 反斜線 /反斜线
roman: fǎnxiéxiàn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 反斜槓 /反斜杠
roman: fǎnxiégàng
lang: Czech
word: zpětné lomítko
lang: Dutch
word: backslash
lang: Dutch
word: terugschrap
lang: Dutch
word: omgekeerde schuine streep
lang: Dutch
word: schuine streep naar links
lang: Dutch
word: schuine streep naar achter
lang: Dutch
word: terugstreep
lang: Esperanto
word: deklivo
lang: Estonian
word: kurakaldkriips
lang: Estonian
word: längkriips
lang: Estonian
word: kurakriips
lang: Faroese
word: bakskák
lang: Finnish
word: kenoviiva
lang: French
word: barre oblique inversée
lang: French
word: contre-oblique
lang: French
word: backslash
lang: French
word: antislash
lang: German
word: Backslash
lang: German
word: Rückwärtsschrägstrich
lang: Greek
word: αντιπλάγια
roman: antiplágia
lang: Greek
word: ανάστροφη κάθετος
roman: anástrofi káthetos
lang: Hungarian
word: fordított törtvonal
lang: Italian
word: barra inversa
lang: Japanese
word: バックスラッシュ
roman: bakkusurasshu
lang: Japanese
word: 逆斜線
roman: gyakushasen
lang: Korean
word: 역슬래시
roman: yeokseullaesi
lang: Korean
word: 역사선
roman: yeoksaseon
lang: Macedonian
word: лева коса црта
roman: leva kosa crta
lang: Maltese
word: sinjal djagonali
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: bakstrek
lang: Polish
word: ukośnik odwrotny
lang: Polish
word: ukośnik wsteczny
lang: Polish
word: ukośnik lewy
lang: Portuguese
word: barra invertida
lang: Portuguese
word: barra inversa
lang: Portuguese
word: contrabarra
lang: Romanian
word: bară oblică inversă
lang: Romanian
word: linie oblică inversă
lang: Russian
word: обра́тная коса́я
roman: obrátnaja kosája
lang: Russian
word: обра́тная коса́я черта́
roman: obrátnaja kosája čertá
lang: Russian
word: обра́тный слэш
roman: obrátnyj slɛš
lang: Russian
word: бе́кслэ́ш
roman: békslɛ́š
lang: Slovak
word: spätná lomka
lang: Slovak
word: opačná lomka
lang: Slovene
word: leva poševnica
lang: Spanish
word: barra inversa
lang: Spanish
word: barra oblicua inversa
lang: Spanish
word: barra invertida
lang: Spanish
word: barra revertida
lang: Spanish
word: contrabarra
lang: Thai
word: แบ็กสแลช
lang: Turkish
word: ters bölü
lang: Ukrainian
word: обе́рнена скісна́ ри́ска
roman: obérnena skisná rýska
lang: Ukrainian
word: бе́кслеш
roman: béksleš