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s/. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
s/, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
s/ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
s/ you have here. The definition of the word
s/ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
s/, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
This comes from the command s (substitute), originally in ed and also found in Perl, to replace one string with another. Although the command does not require slashes (other punctuation can be used as delimiters) in this informal use (i.e., outside of scripting) slashes are virtually universally used.
In the original command, a trailing g means that the change in strings should be effected every time the first string appears (not just the first time it appears); this g is often used in this informal verb also, as described in the usage note below.
Verb
s/ (imperative only)
- (informal or even humorous) Replace the following string with the one that appears after it.
- I hate you, you idiot!
- Erm, s/hate/love/ and s/idiot/lovable fellow/.
Usage notes
- As in the example sentences, the string to be replaced and the string replacing it are surrounded by slashes, although sometimes the final slash is omitted. Often, the second string is followed by a
g; see etymology, above.
Quotations
French
Preposition
s/
- Abbreviation of sur.
Usage notes
Chiefly used in place names, such as on signposts.
Further reading