slash definition - Dictionary

MSN homeMailMy MSN

encartagreeting cards

encarta®

Dictionary

Thesaurus

Translations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

slash

slash [ slash ]

transitive verb (past and past participle slashed, present participle slash·ing, 3rd person present singular slash·es)

Definition:

1. make cuts in something: to make long deep cuts in something

2. attack somebody with sharp object: to cut or attack somebody with the sharp sweeping strokes of a sword, knife, stick, or whip

3. U.S. criticize somebody: to criticize somebody or something severely

4. reduce or cut something short: to reduce or shorten something greatly

All prices slashed!

5. dress slit fabric: to make a slit in fabric or a garment to reveal the lining

6. forestry clear growth by cutting: to cut bushes and undergrowth from a wooded area

noun (plural slash·es)

Definition:

1. sharp sweeping stroke: a sharp sweeping stroke of a sword, knife, stick, or whip

2. long and deep cut: a long deep cut or wound

3. dress slit in fabric: a slit in fabric or a garment, made to reveal the lining

4. forestry debris from cut trees: the debris left after trees have been cut down

5. printing print character: a punctuation mark (/) that is used to separate optional items in a list or to express fractions or division, and that has various uses in computer programming.
Technical name virgule

6. U.S. swampy ground: swampy ground covered with bushes and small trees ( often used in the plural )

[Late 16th century. Probably < French esclachier "break"]

slash·er noun

Word Usage


	A slash is used between optional or alternate elements: He refused to work with children and/or animals.Please place unwanted clothes/toys/books in the box. It may also mean "to" or "between": the academic year 2001/2002; the parent/child relationship. Slashes are used to separate numbers in fractions: 33/140 of the total weight; dates: your invoice of 9/12/04; to stand for "per": at the rate of 2 mm/sec; and in some abbreviations, e.g., c/o meaning "care of." They are also used to indicate line breaks when quoting poetry, when they are usually followed (and sometimes preceded) by a space: The weight of the world/ is love (Allen Ginsberg). In computing the slash (/) is called a forward slash to distinguish it from the backslash (\), which is used for specific purposes, e.g., to show the location of a computer file or document: c:\letters\surfclub.doc. Internet locations usually have forward slashes.