dot sign's meaning in git checkout command

Question

if I use git command like this:

git checkout -- .

I know its effect is to discard all unstaged files everywhere.

Can anyone tell me what is the meaning of the dot sign (.) in this command?

Answer 1

The dot stands for the current directory. The command you've mentioned means: Do a git checkout of the current directory (recursively). The double-dashes separate options from filespecs (like .).

Answer 2

The dot (.) refers to the current working directory.

You are asking git to checkout the current directory from the checked out branch. The double-dash is used to separate references, such as master or HEAD from file paths, such as myfile.cpp.