backslash

[ bak-slash ]
/ ˈbækˌslæʃ /

noun

a short oblique stroke (\), a backward slash, used in some computer operating systems to mark the division between a directory and a subdirectory or its folders, as in designating a path.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of backslash

First recorded in 1975–80; back1 + slash1

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH backslash

backslash , forward slash, virgule.

Words nearby backslash

backside-to, backsight, back slang, backslap, backslapping, backslash, backslide, backsource, backspace, backspin, backsplash
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for backslash

backslash

noun

a slash which slopes to the left \
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012