delimiter

American  

[dih-lim-i-ter] / dɪˈlɪm ɪ tər /

noun

Computers.

1. a blank space, comma, or other character or symbol that indicates the beginning or end of a character string, word, or data item.

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Usage

What is a delimiter? A delimiter is a character or symbol used in computer code that separates words, data, or characters. Delimiters are used to mark the beginning or end of something. In code and many programming languages, many types of data or statements must be made using specific parameters and conditions in order to get the desired result. Every programming language is different, but most will employ several delimiters. For example, in a coding function meant to read the length of two sides and the height of two sides, each length and height will be delimited by a comma, as in 18, 20, 18, 20. This set might itself be surrounded by delimiters, such as (18, 20, 18, 20), so that the system running the program will understand where the data begins and ends. Most programming languages will establish their own conventions for how to write data and what delimiters are to be used. Some of the most common delimiters are semicolons (;), commas (,), asterisks (*), apostrophes (’), and quotation marks (“”). Example: Claudia instantly recognized the programming language because of its unusual delimiters.

Etymology

Origin of delimiter

First recorded in 1960–65; delimit + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The conversation moves on to the Trapezium Cluster — the stellar nursery under Orion’s belt — and the delimiter, also known as the moon’s sunset line.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023

Transcriber's Note: Italics in the text are indicated by the use of an underscore as delimiter, thusly.

From Life of John Sterling by Carlyle, Thomas