In general, as a noun, an alias (pronounced AY-lee-uhs) is an alternate
name for someone or something. In literature, a "pen name" is
an alias for the author's real name. The noun is derived from the Latin
adverb alias, meaning "otherwise" and by extension "otherwise
known as" and the latter meaning is still used in English, as in:
Clark Kent, alias Superman. In information technology, the noun has at
least two different usages.
- In some computer operating systems and programming languages, an alias
is an alternative and usually easier-to-understand or more significant
name for a defined data object. The data object can be defined once and
later a programmer can define one or more equivalent aliases that will
also refer to the data object. In some languages, this is known as an
"equate" instruction.
- In Macintosh operating systems, an alias is a desktop icon for a particular
program or data object
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