backslash
The punctuation mark \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.)
Meaning
2 sensesThe 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.
Backslash, Rückwärtsschrägstrich
обра́тная коса́яobrátnaja kosája, обра́тная коса́я черта́obrátnaja kosája čertá, обра́тный слэшobrátnyj slɛš
обе́рнена скісна́ ри́скаobérnena skisná rýska, бе́кслешbéksleš
Translations
9 languagesOrigin
From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (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.
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