Paamayim Nekudotayim

Paamayim Nekudotayim (pronounced|paʔamajim nəkudotajim) is the official name for the Scope Resolution Operator (::) in PHP. It means "twice colon" or "double colon" in Hebrew.

"Nekudotayim" (נקודתיים) means 'colon'; it comes from "nekuda" (IPA: IPA| [nəkuda] ), 'point' or 'dot', and the dual suffix "ayim" (יים-), hence 'two points'. Similarly, the word "paamayim" (פעמיים) is derived by attaching the dual suffix to "paam" (IPA: IPA| [paʔam] ) ('one time' or 'once'), thus yielding 'twice'.

The name was introduced in the Israeli-developed [cite web
url = http://php.net/manual/language.oop5.paamayim-nekudotayim.php
work = PHP5 Manual
title = Scope Resolution Operator
accessdate = 2007-08-09] Zend Engine 0.5 used in PHP 3. Although it has been confusing to many developers, it is still being used in PHP 5, as in this sample error message:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM in "file" on line "line"

ee also

*PHP
*Scope (programming)
*Name resolution, which includes a discussion of scope resolution
*Niqqud on the vowel points used in Hebrew writing

References