It is the mirror image of the common slash /. It is a relatively recent mark, first documented in the 1930s. It is sometimes called a hack, whack, escape (from C/UNIX), reverse slash, slosh, downwhack, backslant, backwhack, bash, reverse slant, reverse solidus, and reversed virgule.

A slash, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as “the symbol / used in writing to separate letters, numbers, or words” and according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “a mark / used typically to denote “or” (as in and/or), “and or” (as in straggler/deserter), or “per” (as in feet/second)”.

When a slash signifies alternatives between only two words, don't use spaces before or after. When using slashes to signify alternatives between phrases or multi-word terms or compounds, a space before and after the slash makes text easier to read.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a slash is "the symbol / used in writing to separate letters, numbers, or words." Meanwhile, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "a mark / used typically to denote 'or' (as in and/or), 'and or' (as in straggler/deserter), or 'per' (as in feet/second)." The Collins ...