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discard

verb, noun — 7 senses

discard

verb

UK /dɪsˈkɑːd/ · US /dɪsˈkɑɹd/

Etymology From dis- + card. Compare Spanish descartar.

1

To throw away, to reject.

  • A man discards the follies of boyhood.1832, [Isaac Taylor], Saturday Evening. […], London: Holdsworth and Ball, →OCLC:
  • My next stop is Oxford, which has also grown with the addition of new platforms to accommodate the Chiltern Railways service to London via Bicester - although, short sightedly, the planned electrification from Paddington was canned. Evidence of the volte-face can be seen along the line at places such as Radley, where mast piles are already sunk or lie discarded at the lineside.2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, pages 67–68:
2

Card games, Games To make a discard; to throw out a card.

3

To dismiss from employment, confidence, or favour; to discharge.

  • […] They blame the Favourites in point of Policy, and think it nothing extraordinary, that the Queen ſhould be at an end of Her Patience, and reſolve to diſcard them.1711 December 8 (Gregorian calendar), [Jonathan Swift], The Conduct of the Allies, and of the Late Ministry, in Beginning and Carrying on the Present War, 4th edition, London: […] John Morphew […], published 1711, →OCLC, page 65:
Derived terms
discardable, discarder, discardment, discardure, undiscarded

discard

noun

UK /ˈdɪskɑːd/ · US /ˈdɪskɑɹd/

Etymology From dis- + card. Compare Spanish descartar.

1

Anything discarded.

2

One or more discarded playing cards in a card game.

  • "Stroll across and see how the game is going," suggested Carrados. "Have a look at Crediton's discard and then come back."1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:
3

The act of discarding.

  • Spinola was hovering about the external fittings of the figure with unusual fussiness. When at length he released the left hand it seemed for an almost perceptible moment that the action hung. Then the arm descended and carried out the discard.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:
4

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences A temporary variable used to receive a value of no importance and unable to be read later.

  • Discards can be used with out parameters, with tuples, with pattern matching (Chapters 6 and 8), or even as stand-alone variables.2017, Andrew Troelsen, Philip Japikse, Pro C# 7: With .NET and .NET Core, page 120:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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