Delimiter: meaning, definitions and examples
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delimiter
[ ˈdelɪˌmiːtə ]
data management
A delimiter is a character or sequence of characters that marks the beginning or end of a unit of data. It is commonly used in programming and data processing to separate distinct pieces of information within a file or a string. For example, commas are often used as delimiters in CSV files.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- In a CSV file, commas serve as delimiters to separate values.
- The tab character is often used as a delimiter in text files.
- When parsing JSON, braces are used as delimiters for objects.
Etymology
The word 'delimiter' is derived from the root word 'limit', which comes from the Latin 'limitem', meaning boundary or limit. However, the specific term 'delimiter' emerged in the field of computer science and data management in the mid-20th century, as systems began to require methods to distinctly segment data for effective processing and representation. The use of delimiters became especially prevalent with the rise of programming languages and data formats that required structured ways to interpret information. As data exchange became more common between different systems, the standardized use of delimiters in formats like CSV, XML, and JSON highlighted their importance in ensuring correct data parsing and retrieval.