Meanings
nounaltmode (plural altmodes)
plural altmodes
- historicalcomputingAn escape character used as a data terminator in certain systems, sometimes displayed on screen as a dollar sign.
The altmode acts as a terminator for each element of data.
1973, Madeline M. Henderson, United States. Federal Library Committee, Interactive Bibliographic Systems: Proceedings... (page 60)1 more example
The dollar sign is preferable since the altmode is a non-printing character.
1971, Technical Bulletin, number 133, page 2
Cite this entry
APA
altmode. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altmode
MLA
“altmode.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altmode. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “altmode,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altmode.
Source: altmode on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.