alias
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Alias \A"li*as\, adv. [L., fr. alius. See {Else}.] (Law)
(a) Otherwise; otherwise called; -- a term used in legal
proceedings to connect the different names of any one who
has gone by two or more, and whose true name is for any
cause doubtful; as, Smith, alias Simpson.
(b) At another time.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
alias
1. <operating system> A name, usually short and easy to
remember and type, that is translated into another name or
string, usually long and difficult to remember or type. Most
{command interpreters} (e.g. {Unix}'s {csh}) allow the user to
define aliases for commands, e.g. "alias l ls -al". These are
loaded into memory when the interpreter starts and are
expanded without needing to refer to any file.
2. <networking> One of several alternative {hostnames} with
the same {Internet address}. E.g. in the {Unix} {hosts}
database (/etc/hosts or {NIS} map) the first field on a line
is the {Internet address}, the next is the official hostname
(the "{canonical} name" or "{CNAME}"), and any others are
aliases.
Hostname aliases often indicate that the host with that alias
provides a particular network service such as {archie},
{finger}, {FTP}, or {World-Wide Web}. The assignment of
services to computers can then be changed simply by moving an
alias (e.g. www.doc.ic.ac.uk) from one {Internet address} to
another, without the clients needing to be aware of the
change.
3. <file system> The name used by {Apple computer, Inc.} for
{symbolic links} when they added them to the {System 7}
{operating system} in 1991.
(1997-10-22)
4. <programming> Two names ({identifiers}), usually of local
or global {variables}, that refer to the same resource
({memory} location) are said to be aliased. Although names
introduced in {programming languages} are typically mapped to
different {memory} locations, aliasing can be introduced by
the use of {address} arithmetic and {pointers} or
language-specific features, like {C++} {references}.
Statically deciding (e.g. via a {program analysis} executed by a
sophisticated {compiler}) which locations of a {program} will be
aliased at run time is an {undecidable} problem.
[G. Ramalingam: "The Undecidability of Aliasing", ACM
Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS),
Volume 16, Issue 5, September 1994, Pages: 1467 - 1471,
ISSN:0164-0925.]
(2004-09-12)
from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
ALIAS, practice. This word is prefixed to the name of a second writ of the
same kind issued in the same cause; as, when a summons has been issued and
it is returned by the sheriff, nil, and another is issued, this is called an
alias summons. The term is used to all kinds of writs, as alias fi. fa.,
alias vend. exp. and the like. Alias dictus, otherwise called; a description
of the defendant by an addition to his real name of that by which he is
bound in the writing; or when a man is indicted and his name is uncertain,
he may be indicted as A B, alias dictus C D. See 4 John. 1118; 1 John. Cas.
243; 2 Caines, R. 362; 3 Caines, R. 219.
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
23 Moby Thesaurus words for "alias":
Jane Doe, John Doe, Richard Roe, anonym, assumed name, contrarily,
else, elsewise, false name, fictitious name, in other respects,
in other ways, nom de guerre, nom de plume, nom de theatre,
or else, other than, otherwise, pen name, professional name,
pseudonym, stage name, than
[email protected]