line feed
- noun
- /laɪn fiːd/
- Specialized
:
salto de línea
- Each NMEA report is a text packet, or sentence, that begins with a dollar sign and ends with a carriage return and line feed.
Examples
-
In text files, a line feed creates separation between lines for better readability.
-
When programming, the computer uses a line feed character to start a new line in the output display.
-
After each command, the terminal inserts a line feed to ensure the next output starts on a new line.
Synonyms
4
3.1
A break that moves text to the next line
1
5.3
The character that marks a break between lines of text
1
4.4
A special mark in computer text that ends a line and starts the next
1
7.0
A key or action that moves the cursor to the start of a new line
A special mark in text files that starts the next line
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'line' (a row of text) and 'feed' (to supply or move something) give a partial clue that the term involves moving to or supplying the next line, so a learner could roughly infer it's about advancing to the next line. However, the precise technical meaning as a control character/operation in computing or printing is jargonistic and not fully predictable from everyday senses of 'feed', so a B1 learner would likely need prior exposure to get the exact sense.
Etymology
The term line feed comes from old printers and typewriters: the machine would feed the paper so the text moved down one line. So today line feed means the action that makes text 'move to the next line' on a screen or on paper.