grep

grep
 /grep/, vi.

   [from the qed/ed editor idiom g/re/p, where re stands for a regular
   expression, to Globally search for the Regular Expression and Print
   the lines containing matches to it, via {Unix} grep(1)] To rapidly
   scan a file or set of files looking for a particular string or pattern
   (when browsing through a large set of files, one may speak of grepping
   around). By extension, to look for something by pattern. "Grep the
   bulletin board for the system backup schedule, would you?" See also
   {vgrep}.

   [It has been alleged that the source is from the title of a paper "A
   General Regular Expression Parser", but dmr confirms the g/re/p
   etymology --ESR]
    

grep

   <tool, information science> <tool> A {Unix} command for
   searching files for lines matching a given {regular
   expression} (RE).  Named after the {qed}/{ed} editor
   subcommand "g/re/p", where re stands for a regular expression,
   to Globally search for the Regular Expression and Print the
   lines containing matches to it.  There are two other variants,
   fgrep which searches only for fixed strings and {egrep} which
   accepts extended REs but is usually the fastest of the three.

   Used by extension to mean "to look for something by pattern".
   When browsing through a large set of files, one may speak of
   "grepping around".  "Grep the bulletin board for the system
   backup schedule, would you?"  See also {vgrep}.

   [{Jargon File}]
    

GREP
       Global Regular Expression Print (Unix)