underscore

From under +‎ score.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʌn.dəˌskɔː(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʌn.dɚˌskɔɹ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

underscore (plural underscores)

1. A line drawn or printed beneath text; the character _.

   Synonyms: underline, low line

2. (music) A piece of background music.

From under- +‎ score.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.dəˈskɔː(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌʌn.dɚˈskɔɹ/

underscore (third-person singular simple present underscores, present participle underscoring, simple past and past participle underscored)

1. (transitive)To underline; to mark a line beneath text.
   • 2011, Matt Aimonetti, MacRuby: The Definitive Guide: Ruby and Cocoa on OS X, page 14:

     By convention, Rubyists usually underscore their method names.

2. (transitive) To emphasize or draw attention to.

   I wish to underscore the importance of proper formatting.

   • 1986, Richard Bauman, Story, Performance, and Event: Contextual Studies of Oral Narrative:

     The tale thus underscores in expressive form the semiparadoxical fact that traders can lie by telling the truth.

• underbar
• undertie

Typography