See /dev/null on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "From Unix operating systems, where /dev (the Unix directory containing device files) contains a null entry representing no device.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"head": "/dev/null"
},
"expansion": "/dev/null",
"name": "en-proper noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "name",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Computing",
"orig": "en:Computing",
"parents": [
"Technology",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "82 18",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "78 22",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "81 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "94 6",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Unix",
"orig": "en:Unix",
"parents": [
"Computing",
"Technology",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"coordinate_terms": [
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"word": "bit bucket"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"word": "black hole"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "It's possible to suppress the compiler's warnings by redirecting standard error to /dev/null.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1980 October, Luis F. Cabrera, “A Performance Evaluation Study of UNIX”, in Harold Joseph Highland, editor, Computer Performance Evaluation Users Group 16th Meeting (National Bureau of Standards Special Publication; 500-65), Washington: Government Printing Office, page 235:",
"text": "To avoid problems when running the script, the output of man man was sent to /dev/null instead of sending it to a real terminal. This has the effect of discarding the already formatted text of the retrieved page.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Stephen A. Rago, UNIX System V Network Programming, Pearson, →ISBN, page 89:",
"text": "[...] we reserve file descriptors 0, 1, and 2 by opening /dev/null and duplicating the file descriptor returned. /dev/null is a pseudo-driver that forces read to return 0 and write to return as if the entire amount requested had been written. This makes library routines that use file descriptors 0, 1, and 2 harmless.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2005, Eric Foster-Johnson with John C. Welch and Micah Anderson, Beginning Shell Scripting, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 263:",
"text": "Continuing in the Unix tradition of treating everything as a file, you can redirect a command's output to the null file, /dev/null. The null file consumes all output sent to it, as if /dev/null is a black hole star.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A device file, present in Unix and Unix-like operating systems, that discards all data written to it and yields no output."
],
"hypernyms": [
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"word": "null device"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"word": "pseudodevice"
}
],
"id": "en-/dev/null-en-name-lugpZQjm",
"links": [
[
"computing",
"computing#Noun"
],
[
"device",
"device"
],
[
"file",
"file"
],
[
"Unix",
"Unix"
],
[
"Unix-like",
"Unix-like"
],
[
"operating system",
"operating system"
],
[
"discard",
"discard"
],
[
"data",
"data"
],
[
"written",
"write"
],
[
"yield",
"yield"
],
[
"output",
"output"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(computing) A device file, present in Unix and Unix-like operating systems, that discards all data written to it and yields no output."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "84 16",
"word": "dev null"
},
{
"_dis1": "84 16",
"word": "dev-null"
},
{
"_dis1": "84 16",
"word": "devnull"
}
],
"topics": [
"computing",
"engineering",
"mathematics",
"natural-sciences",
"physical-sciences",
"sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1992 September 17, Douglas Meier <dmeier@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>, “Welfare Reform Idea”, in talk.politics.misc (Usenet), message-ID <1992Sep17.064757.551@news.acns.nwu.edu>",
"text": "Thoughtful discussion and criticism is welcomed, but please send all flames to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1993 December 18, Carmien Stefan <carmien@alumni.cs.Colorado.EDU>, “RLP hosed”, in alt.unix.wizards (Usenet), message-ID <CI7Gt6.DAo@Colorado.EDU>",
"text": "suddenly the RLP calls form atlanta apparently go to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2004 January 17, Ronald D. Edge <InactiveX666@hotmail.com>, “PayPal pyramid scam”, in news.admin.net-abuse.email (Usenet), message-ID <SDaOb.873$Ly6.642264@newshog.newsread.com>",
"text": "The email will explicitly state that you cannot reply to the email, it will go to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Nowhere; often suggests an intent to ignore specific correspondence."
],
"id": "en-/dev/null-en-name-sVLmAtLR",
"links": [
[
"Internet",
"Internet"
],
[
"slang",
"slang"
],
[
"Nowhere",
"nowhere"
],
[
"suggest",
"suggest"
],
[
"intent",
"intent"
],
[
"ignore",
"ignore"
],
[
"correspondence",
"correspondence"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Internet slang, figuratively) Nowhere; often suggests an intent to ignore specific correspondence."
],
"tags": [
"Internet",
"figuratively"
]
}
],
"word": "/dev/null"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English proper nouns",
"English uncountable nouns",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"en:Unix"
],
"coordinate_terms": [
{
"word": "bit bucket"
},
{
"word": "black hole"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Unix operating systems, where /dev (the Unix directory containing device files) contains a null entry representing no device.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"head": "/dev/null"
},
"expansion": "/dev/null",
"name": "en-proper noun"
}
],
"hypernyms": [
{
"word": "null device"
},
{
"word": "pseudodevice"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "name",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"en:Computing"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "It's possible to suppress the compiler's warnings by redirecting standard error to /dev/null.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1980 October, Luis F. Cabrera, “A Performance Evaluation Study of UNIX”, in Harold Joseph Highland, editor, Computer Performance Evaluation Users Group 16th Meeting (National Bureau of Standards Special Publication; 500-65), Washington: Government Printing Office, page 235:",
"text": "To avoid problems when running the script, the output of man man was sent to /dev/null instead of sending it to a real terminal. This has the effect of discarding the already formatted text of the retrieved page.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Stephen A. Rago, UNIX System V Network Programming, Pearson, →ISBN, page 89:",
"text": "[...] we reserve file descriptors 0, 1, and 2 by opening /dev/null and duplicating the file descriptor returned. /dev/null is a pseudo-driver that forces read to return 0 and write to return as if the entire amount requested had been written. This makes library routines that use file descriptors 0, 1, and 2 harmless.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2005, Eric Foster-Johnson with John C. Welch and Micah Anderson, Beginning Shell Scripting, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 263:",
"text": "Continuing in the Unix tradition of treating everything as a file, you can redirect a command's output to the null file, /dev/null. The null file consumes all output sent to it, as if /dev/null is a black hole star.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A device file, present in Unix and Unix-like operating systems, that discards all data written to it and yields no output."
],
"links": [
[
"computing",
"computing#Noun"
],
[
"device",
"device"
],
[
"file",
"file"
],
[
"Unix",
"Unix"
],
[
"Unix-like",
"Unix-like"
],
[
"operating system",
"operating system"
],
[
"discard",
"discard"
],
[
"data",
"data"
],
[
"written",
"write"
],
[
"yield",
"yield"
],
[
"output",
"output"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(computing) A device file, present in Unix and Unix-like operating systems, that discards all data written to it and yields no output."
],
"topics": [
"computing",
"engineering",
"mathematics",
"natural-sciences",
"physical-sciences",
"sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English internet slang"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1992 September 17, Douglas Meier <dmeier@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>, “Welfare Reform Idea”, in talk.politics.misc (Usenet), message-ID <1992Sep17.064757.551@news.acns.nwu.edu>",
"text": "Thoughtful discussion and criticism is welcomed, but please send all flames to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1993 December 18, Carmien Stefan <carmien@alumni.cs.Colorado.EDU>, “RLP hosed”, in alt.unix.wizards (Usenet), message-ID <CI7Gt6.DAo@Colorado.EDU>",
"text": "suddenly the RLP calls form atlanta apparently go to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2004 January 17, Ronald D. Edge <InactiveX666@hotmail.com>, “PayPal pyramid scam”, in news.admin.net-abuse.email (Usenet), message-ID <SDaOb.873$Ly6.642264@newshog.newsread.com>",
"text": "The email will explicitly state that you cannot reply to the email, it will go to dev null.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Nowhere; often suggests an intent to ignore specific correspondence."
],
"links": [
[
"Internet",
"Internet"
],
[
"slang",
"slang"
],
[
"Nowhere",
"nowhere"
],
[
"suggest",
"suggest"
],
[
"intent",
"intent"
],
[
"ignore",
"ignore"
],
[
"correspondence",
"correspondence"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Internet slang, figuratively) Nowhere; often suggests an intent to ignore specific correspondence."
],
"tags": [
"Internet",
"figuratively"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dev null"
},
{
"word": "dev-null"
},
{
"word": "devnull"
}
],
"word": "/dev/null"
}
Download raw JSONL data for /dev/null meaning in All languages combined (4.3kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.