Formfeed

/ˈfɔrmˌfiːd/ noun

Definition

A control character in computing that causes a printer to advance to the next page or form.

Etymology

From 'form' (printed form or page) + 'feed' (to advance or move). Created as technical terminology in early computing to manage printer output pagination.

Kelly Says

The formfeed character (ASCII 12) is a ghost from the typewriter era—computers inherited printer controls from mechanical machines, and this invisible character still exists in modern text files even though most of us print to PDFs now.

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