local variable

In programming, a variable used only within the routine or function it is defined in. When the function is finished and control is returned back to the part of the program that called it, the local variables no longer exist. Contrast with global variable.

---

(programming)

local variable - A variable with lexical scope, i.e. one which only exists in some particular part of the source code, typically within a block or a function or procedure body. This contrasts with a global variable, which is defined throughout the whole program. Code is easier to understand when the scope of variables is as small as possible because it is easier to see how the variable is set and used. Code containing global variables is harder to modify because they create more interdependencies between sections of code.