What does "rc" in matplotlib's rcParams stand for? [closed]

It's common to end configuration files in 'rc' - e.g. '.xinitrc', '.vimrc' and '.bashrc'.

It stems from practice of having your configs executable - they are automatically Run at startup and they Configure your stuff.

This started long ago, even before Unix:

[Unix: from runcom files on the CTSS system 1962-63, via the startup script /etc/rc] Script file containing startup instructions for an application program (or an entire operating system), usually a text file containing commands of the sort that might have been invoked manually once the system was running but are to be executed automatically each time the system starts up.