solidus
Definition
- Noun:
- A punctuation mark (/): A diagonal line used in writing and printing to separate related items, indicate alternatives, or represent fractions and dates.
- A gold coin: A historical gold coin issued by the Byzantine Empire, which was a standard currency and widely used throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
Usage Examples
- As a punctuation mark:
- Please write your birth date in the format DD/MM/YYYY.
- The options are yes/no/maybe.
- The fraction 3/4 can be read as "three-fourths".
- As a historical coin:
- Archaeologists found a solidus from the reign of Justinian I.
- The solidus was known for its consistent weight and purity.
Advanced Usage
- In computing and general text: The solidus is often called a "forward slash" to distinguish it from the backslash (). It is used in URLs (e.g., ), file paths on some systems, and to denote division in programming.
- The directory path is user/docs/file.txt.
- In formal writing: It can indicate a line break in poetry when quoted in prose, or a per relationship (e.g., ).
- The line was written as "The woods are lovely, dark and deep/But I have promises to keep."
Variants and Related Words
- Slash: A common synonym for the punctuation mark.
- Oblique stroke: Another formal term for the punctuation mark.
- Shilling mark: An archaic term, historically used similarly.
- Virgule: A less common synonym, primarily used in typography.
Synonyms
- For the punctuation mark: slash, oblique, stroke, virgule, diagonal.
- For the coin: bezant (a later medieval term for similar Byzantine and Islamic gold coins), nomisma (a Greek term for the coin).
Related Phrases and Compound Terms
- Fraction bar: When the solidus is used to separate numerator and denominator (e.g., ).
- Solidus line: In phase diagrams (chemistry, metallurgy), the line below which a substance is completely solid.
Related Idioms
Noun
-
a punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information
-
a gold coin of the Byzantine Empire; widely circulated in Europe in the Middle Ages
