METASYNTACTICVARIABLE

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.

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metasyntactic variable

Noun

  1. A conventional variable name used for an unspecified entity whose exact nature depends on context.
    Use metasyntactic variables like foo and bar when you need a name but the particular name doesn't matter.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: metasyntactic variable
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