rune

n : any character from an ancient Germanic alphabet used in

Scandinavia from the 3rd century to the Middle Ages;

"each rune had its own magical significance" [syn: {runic

letter}]

runes

1. Anything that requires {heavy wizardry} or {black art} to

{parse}: core dumps, {JCL} commands, {APL} or code in a

language you haven't a clue how to read. Not quite as bad as

{line noise}, but close.

Compare {casting the runes}, {Great Runes}.

2. Special display characters (for example, the high-half

graphics on an {IBM PC}).

[{Jargon File}]