DEREFERENCE Meaning and
Definition
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Dereference is a term used in computer programming and computer science, particularly in the context of programming languages and memory management. It refers to the act of retrieving the actual value of a memory location or variable, rather than accessing or referring to the memory address or reference itself.
In programming languages, variables often hold references to memory locations or pointers rather than the actual values. Dereferencing, on the other hand, is the process of following these references or pointers to access the data they point to. It involves accessing the memory location to retrieve the stored value, allowing further operations or manipulations using that value.
Dereferencing is an essential operation when dealing with pointers, as it is necessary to obtain the value they point to. It allows programmers to access and manipulate the actual data stored in memory rather than simply working with memory addresses or references.
The dereference operator, often denoted as "*", is used in some programming languages to dereference a pointer explicitly. By placing the dereference operator in front of a pointer variable, the value stored at the memory location being pointed to is accessed.
Overall, the concept of dereference involves retrieving the actual value from a memory location or variable rather than dealing with the address or reference itself, enabling programmers to work with and manipulate the data directly.
Common Misspellings for DEREFERENCE
Etymology of DEREFERENCE
The word "dereference" is derived from the combination of two terms: "de-" and "reference".
The prefix "de-" in this context denotes a negation or a reversal.
The word "reference" comes from the Latin word "referentia", meaning "relation" or "regard". It has been used in English since the 14th century to describe the act of referring to something or someone as a source of information or authority.
Therefore, the term "dereference" emerged as a verb in computer science, generally meaning to access the value, object, or memory location associated with a reference or pointer. "Dereferencing" is a process where a reference or pointer is followed to obtain the value stored at the memory address it points to.
