The region of a program where a variable, function, or identifier can be accessed and used. Scope determines the visibility and lifetime of program elements, preventing naming conflicts and managing memory efficiently.
From Greek 'skopos' meaning target or aim, later meaning range of view. Scientific instruments like telescopes and microscopes used 'scope' to describe their range of observation. Programming adopted it in the 1960s to describe the 'range' where variables are visible and accessible.
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