== Backslash Symbol ==

In the shell, the '''backslash''' symbol serves the following purposes:

=== Suppression of Interpolation ===

The backslash symbol is be used to prevent [interpolation] of [metacharacters] by the shell. By prefixing the dollar [symbol] with a backslash [metacharacter], we prevent interpolation from taking place:

{{{
 price=300
 echo "Cost is $price dollars"   # Without the backslash $price is output as 300
 echo "Cost is \$price dollars"  # Interpolation of $price does not take place
}}}