Code Corpse

Noun · Slang & Abbreviations

Definitions

  1. A piece of code that is effectively dead but still lying around in the repository, often because no one has proven it safe to remove. In engineering slang, code corpses add confusion and invite accidental resurrection.

    In plain English: Dead code that still remains in the repository.

    Example: "The old parser was a code corpse that still compiled, which made it unclear to new contributors whether it was legacy reference material or something production still depended on."

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