Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms: ellipsis
ellipsis
typographic convention of using three dots (...) to indicate the trailing off of a thought. In Windows, the ellipsis is typed by holding down Alt while keying 133 on the numeric keypad. Macintosh users can type an ellipsis by holding down Option and typing : (colon). Note that the three dots are actually one character. The spacing is different than simply typing three consecutive periods (Ellipsis...;Three periods ...).
The ellipsis also has an important function in the menu system of MicrosoftWindows. The appearance of '...' after a menu item means that a dialog box will appear when that command is selected.
