| forward slash (/) |
| Definition: One of the names of the / symbol. |
| Usage:
1. Use it to represent disjunction (i.e., mutually incompatible alternatives). You can lease/purchase the automobile right now. 2. Use it instead of the hyphen or the en dash to indicate a strong relationship. Beatles/Stones generation 3. Use it to mark line breaks in poetry. Roses are red / Violets are blue / virgules lean forward / solidos do too 4. Use it to represent either a fraction or division. 8/4 5. Use it to represent per or to in measures and ratios. miles/hour (miles per hour) price/earnings ratio (price to earnings ratio) |
| Etymology: The first OED citation for the word slash is from 1382 where it denotes "to cut with a stroke of a blade or whip." It — perhaps — derives from the Middle French esclachier, to break. Note: The first OED citation for the word slash representing a punctuation mark is from 1961. |