A function that is passed as an argument to another function and is executed at a specific point in the future, typically when an event occurs or an operation completes. Callbacks enable asynchronous programming and event-driven architectures.
Compound of 'call' (Old Norse 'kalla') and 'back', literally meaning 'to call back'. The programming term emerged in the 1960s with event-driven systems, describing functions that are 'called back' when specific conditions are met.
A callback is like leaving your phone number at a restaurant for a table - you go about your business, and they 'call you back' when your table is ready. Your program doesn't have to wait around; it can do other things until the callback gets triggered!
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