grault

Grault is a metasyntactic placeholder name used in software development and technical documentation to represent an arbitrary variable, function, module, or filename. It is part of a family of nonspecific placeholders that developers use alongside more familiar terms such as foo, bar, and baz. The term is informal and has no official definition or standardization across programming languages.

Origins of grault are informal and rooted in programmer culture, where sequences of placeholder names are employed to illustrate concepts without implying particular semantics. In practice, grault is chosen when a generic example requires a stand-in that is longer or more distinctive than simple letters, or when several placeholders are used in the same example.

Usage: In code samples, grault serves as a neutral stand-in that can be replaced with a real identifier during implementation. It helps readers focus on the algorithm or structure rather than on naming. It is generally not a reserved keyword in major languages, and its meaning is entirely contextual.

Variants and related terms: Grault is often encountered with other metasyntactic variables such as garply, waldo, fred, and plugh. Different communities may favor different sequences, but the purpose remains the same: to provide non-semantic placeholders.

Best practices: When writing educational material, grault should be replaced with meaningful names in production code. In examples, limit its use to simple, clearly labeled scenarios to avoid confusion.