token

There are items carried through countless hellos goodbyes and shuttling back and forth. Everyone now has keys, but it is the small and purposeless in the end, the worn piece of wood, the smooth pebble thrown almost as an afterthought into the scales, which say whose latent magic secretly brimmed.
They could be left over from idols. They could be lucky. Things so familiar as to be exotic, sometimes without thought slipping under your tongue - and it's all right because they've been exactly and only where you have yourself. Anything soft is rubbed away, the grain stands out or a hollow fits only your thumb. Except on occasion nightstands or coffeelines with a handful of change and lint, these talismans are rarely produced. They are confidantes of the unconcious, the nervous fingers, they are trivial. They are in size one human life to a nation, but they compulsively choose not to die and our fingertips return to them, lift them unthinking to our lips.
What could they say; though they urge, they still are mute.

The newest arcades feature a fancy debit card system which is actually very convenient: you simply charge the card with a few bucks at a machine, and then swipe it when you want to play. This is nice because swiping a card tends to be a lot less prone to fumbling around during that "Continue 10...9...8..." thing. But on the otherhand, its not a pocket full of quarters. Miss the sound and the weight. It always feels like something is missing.

In philosophy, a token is an single instance or occurrence.

This writeup is a token of a writeup, this R is a token of both 'R' and of a letter. You can also have tokens of qualitative properties, such as red. Tokens are not used to refer to quantitative properties, such as weight.

Tokens are in contrast to types or kinds. A type refers to an abstract object (writeups, letters), while a token refers to a specific instance (this writeup, this R).

Many early versions of BASIC tokenized their source code as you typed it in. Since there is a one to one correspondence between tokens and keywords, it is easy to list the program by simply emitting the words represented by the tokens. Many interpreted languages tokenize their source code before interpreting it.

While tokens can be a form of bytecode, they are distinguished from byte code in that tokens directly represent elements of the syntax, where bytecode is more like machine language, and may be optimized and typically does not contain the original symbol names and other language syntax, thus making it difficult to reverse back into source code.

Also, compilers use tokens in their early stages. For example, the first pass of a compiler might be written in lex (or flex), which generates a lexical analyzer. The lexical analyzer recognizes simple units of syntax (including strings and numbers) and passes back a token which is then fed to the FSM that parses the grammar. In this application, the token may also have a value associated with it. (e.g., token: NUMBER value: 42; token: STRING value: "stuff in quotes")

token

The plague: also the venereal disease.

She tipped him the token ; she gave him a clap or pox.

The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

To"ken (tO"k'n), n. [OE. token, taken, AS. tAcen; akin to OFries. tEken, OS. tEkan, D. teeken, G. zeichen, OHG. Zeihhan, Icel. tAkan, teiken, Sw. tecken, Dan. tegn, Goth. taikns sign, token, gateihan to tell, show, AS. teón to accuse, G. zeihen, OHG. zIhan, G. zeigen to show, OHG. zeigOn, Icel. tjA, L. dicere to say, Gr. deikny`nai to show, Skr. diç. Cf. Diction, Teach.]

1.

Something intended or supposed to represent or indicate another thing or an event; a sign; a symbol; as, the rainbow is a token of God's covenant established with Noah.

2.

A memorial of friendship; something by which the friendship of another person is to be kept in mind; a memento; a souvenir.

This is some token from a never friend.
Shak.

3.

Something given or shown as a symbol or guarantee of authority or right; a sign of authenticity, of power, good faith, etc.

Say, by this token, I desire his company.
Shak.

4.

A piece of metal intended for currency, and issued by a private party, usually bearing the name of the issuer, and redeemable in lawful money. Also, a coin issued by government, esp. when its use as lawful money is limited and its intrinsic value is much below its nominal value.

⇒ It is now made unlawful for private persons to issue tokens.

5. (Med.)

A livid spot upon the body, indicating, or supposed to indicate, the approach of death. [Obs.]

Like the fearful tokens of the plague,
Are mere forerunners of their ends.
Beau. & Fl.

6. (Print.)

Ten and a half quires, or, commonly, 250 sheets, of paper printed on both sides; also, in some cases, the same number of sheets printed on one side, or half the number printed on both sides.

7. (Ch. of Scot.)

A piece of metal given beforehand to each person in the congregation who is permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper.

8. (Mining)

A bit of leather having a peculiar mark designating a particular miner. Each hewer sends one of these with each corf or tub he has hewn.

Token money, money which is lawfully current for more than its real value. See Token, n., 4. - - Token sheet (Print.), the last sheet of each token. W. Savage.

© Webster 1913

To"ken, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tokened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tokening.] [AS. tAcnian, fr. tAcen token. See Token, n.]

To betoken. [Obs.] Shak.

© Webster 1913

To"ken, n. (Weaving)

In a Jacquard loom, a colored signal to show the weaver which shuttle to use.

© Webster 1913