underscore

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English

Etymology

From under- +‎ score.

Pronunciation

Noun

underscore (plural underscores)

  1. A line drawn or printed beneath text; the character _.
    Synonyms: underline, low line
    • 2007, Richard D. Ondo, “Used Cars in West Virginia”, in A Third Cell in America: A Novel, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 15:
      He walks into the house and picks up a pen. The thought he has is a brilliant idea. He must write it down. Only two words need to be written. The underscore adds importance. / BOUNTY HUNTER
  2. (music) A piece of background music.

Translations

Verb

underscore (third-person singular simple present underscores, present participle underscoring, simple past and past participle underscored)

  1. (transitive) To underline; to mark a line beneath text.
    • 2011, Matt Aimonetti, MacRuby: The Definitive Guide: Ruby and Cocoa on OS X, page 14:
      By convention, Rubyists usually underscore their method names.
  2. (transitive) To emphasize or draw attention to.
    I wish to underscore the importance of proper formatting.
    • 1986, Richard Bauman, Story, Performance, and Event: Contextual Studies of Oral Narrative:
      The tale thus underscores in expressive form the semiparadoxical fact that traders can lie by telling the truth.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

Typography

References

  1. ^ underscore, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ underscore, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.