escape character
nounUK /ɪˈskeɪp ˈkærəktə/
US /ɪˈskeɪp ˈkærəktər/
A special symbol that tells a computer to treat the next symbol in a different way.
In many programming languages, the backslash is an escape character that lets you put a quote inside a string.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A character used to cancel the normal meaning of the character that follows it.
The escape character before the quote stops the quote from ending the text.
3. A keystroke, such as Esc, used to interrupt or cancel an operation.
Press the escape character to close the menu.
4. In data encoding, a symbol that signals a switch to a different character set or mode.
The terminal used an escape character to change text color.