Definitions for metasyntactic variable
meta·syn·tac·tic vari·able

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metasyntactic variablenoun

   A conventional variable name used for an unspecified entity whose exact nature depends on context.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metasyntactic variable

   A metasyntactic variable is a specific word or set of words identified as a placeholder in computer science and specifically computer programming. These words are commonly found in source code and are intended to be modified or substituted before real-world usage. The words foo and bar are good examples as they are used in over 330 Internet Engineering Task Force Requests for Comments, the documents which define foundational internet technologies like HTTP (web), TCP/IP, and email protocols.By mathematical analogy, a metasyntactic variable is a word that is a variable for other words, just as in algebra letters are used as variables for numbers.Metasyntactic variables are used to name entities such as variables, functions, and commands whose exact identity is unimportant and serve only to demonstrate a concept, which is useful for teaching programming.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metasyntactic variable

   A metasyntactic variable is a placeholder name used in computer science, a word without meaning intended to be substituted by some objects pertaining to the context where it is used. The word foo as used in IETF Requests for Comments is a good example. In the strict sense of the term, a metasyntactic variable is an alias term commonly used to denote an arbitrary thing, or an arbitrary member of a class of things under discussion, i.e. a metavariable. By mathematical analogy, a metasyntactic variable is a word that is a variable for other words, just as in algebra letters are used as variables for numbers. Any symbol or word which does not violate the syntactic rules of the language can be used as a metasyntactic variable. For specifications written in natural language, nonsense words are commonly used as metasyntactic variables. In hacker culture, "metasyntactic variable" has come to denote some typical words used as metavariables in computing; see reification. For example, The Hacker's Dictionary defined FOO as "the first metasyntactic variable" and BAR as "the second metasyntactic variable", explaining that "When you have to invent an arbitrary temporary name for something for the sake of exposition, FOO is usually used. If you need a second one, BAR or BAZ is usually used; there is a slight preference at MIT for bar and at Stanford for baz. Clearly, bar was the original, for the concatenation FOOBAR is widely used also, and this in turn can be traced to the obscene acronym 'FUBAR' that arose in the armed forces during World War II. [...] A hacker avoids using 'foo' as the real name of anything. Indeed, a standard convention is that any file with 'foo' in its name is temporary and can be deleted on sight." The names of these consecrated "metasyntactic variables" are also commonly used as actual identifiers in tutorial programming examples when their purpose is to emphasize syntax; in this usage, "metasyntactic variable" is synonymous with "meaningless word".

The New Hacker's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metasyntactic variable

   A name used in examples and understood to stand for whatever thing is under discussion, or any random member of a class of things under discussion. The word foo is the canonical example. To avoid confusion, hackers never (well, hardly ever) use ‘foo’ or other words like it as permanent names for anything. In filenames, a common convention is that any filename beginning with a metasyntactic-variable name is a scratch file that may be deleted at any time.Metasyntactic variables are so called because (1) they are variables in the metalanguage used to talk about programs etc; (2) they are variables whose values are often variables (as in usages like “the value of f(foo,bar) is the sum of foo and bar”). However, it has been plausibly suggested that the real reason for the term “metasyntactic variable” is that it sounds good. To some extent, the list of one's preferred metasyntactic variables is a cultural signature. They occur both in series (used for related groups of variables or objects) and as singletons. Here are a few common signatures:foo, bar, baz, quux, quuux, quuuux...: MIT/Stanford usage, now found everywhere (thanks largely to early versions of this lexicon!). At MIT (but not at Stanford), baz dropped out of use for a while in the 1970s and '80s. A common recent mutation of this sequence inserts quxbefore quux.bazola, ztesch:Stanford (from mid-'70s on).foo, bar, thud, grunt:This series was popular at CMU. Other CMU-associated variables include gorp.foo, bar, bletch: Waterloo University. We are informed that the CS club at Waterloo formerly had a sign on its door reading “Ye Olde Foo Bar and Grill”; this led to an attempt to establish “grill” as the third metasyntactic variable, but it never caught on.foo, bar, fum:This series is reported to be common at XEROX PARC.fred, jim, sheila, barney:See the entry for fred. These tend to be Britishisms.flarp:Popular at Rutgers University and among GOSMACS hackers.zxc, spqr, wombat:Cambridge University (England).shmeBerkeley, GeoWorks, Ingres. Pronounced /shme/ with a short /

How to pronounce metasyntactic variable?

1. Alex

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   David

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   Mark

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   Daniel

   British

   Libby

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   Mia

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   Australian

   Hayley

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   Indian

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   Neerja

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   Oliver

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   Fred

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How to say metasyntactic variable in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of metasyntactic variable in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of metasyntactic variable in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Metasyntactic_Variable
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasyntactic_Variable
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=metasyntactic variable
4. ^ The New Hacker's Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3008/3008-h/3008-h.htm#MetasyntacticVariable