Definition, synonyms and related words
A filename without any path or directory information.
"The script extracts the basename from the full file path to ensure it processes only the actual filename."
In plain English: The basename is just the name of a file without its folder path included.
"The script extracts the basename from every file in the directory to sort them alphabetically."
Usage: Use basename to refer specifically to just the final name of a file, excluding its folder location and extension if present in technical contexts like programming scripts. This term is distinct from general filenames because it isolates only the core identifier after stripping away all preceding directory paths.
The word basename is formed by combining the words base and name to describe a fundamental or underlying part of something. It entered English as a straightforward compound term without any shift in meaning from its individual components.