underscore

English

Etymology

From under- +‎ score.[1][2]

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

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Translations to be checked

See also

Typography

References

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