Delimiter

/dɪˈlɪmɪtər/ noun

Definition

A character, symbol, or marker used to show where one section of data or text ends and another begins, especially in computing and data processing.

Etymology

From delimit (de- + limit) + -er (agent noun). Emerged in computer science in the 1960s-70s as programmers needed precise terms for symbols that separate data fields.

Kelly Says

Delimiters are everywhere in your digital life—every comma in a CSV spreadsheet, every space between words, every line break is a delimiter telling your computer 'stop here, new section.' Without delimiters, all text would be one confusing blob.

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