dotfile

dot +‎ file

dotfile (plural dotfiles)

1. (computing, Unix) A file or directory whose name begins with a dot (period or full stop), typically hidden from view and sometimes used to store configuration settings.
   • 2003, James Lee, Brent Ware, Open source Web development with LAMP:

     There is also a dotfile generator, which you can use to create dotfiles for many different programs until you get the hang of it.

   • 2004, Eric S. Raymond, The art of Unix programming:

     In general, a user-defined environment variable can be an effective design choice when the value changes often enough to make editing a dotfile each time […]

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