backslash
2 synonyms for backslash, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The sign \, a line slanting down from right to left, used in computing to separate parts of a file path or to mark a special character.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (in writing lines from left to right), in contrast to the more common (forward) slash / (“solidus, oblique, diagonal”). The actual direction of (hand-)writing these marks can be reversed, when writing from left to right, top to bas...
Full origin of backslash →