Keyed History: The Origins of Keyboard Symbols
2 min readAug 11, 2023
& (Ampersand):
Origin: Derived from the Latin word “et” meaning “and”.
- History: Over time, “et” was written in cursive, causing the two letters to become more entwined. This evolved design eventually became recognized as the symbol we know today. The term “ampersand” is believed to have been formed from the phrase “and per se and”, which was used in reciting the alphabet.
* (Asterisk):
Origin: From the Greek word “astēr”, meaning “star”.
- History: The asterisk has been used as a symbol to denote footnotes or to indicate omission. Its usage can be traced back to ancient manuscripts.
! (Exclamation Mark):
Origin: Likely derived from the Latin word “io”, a joyful exclamation.
- History: Over time, the ‘i’ was placed over the ‘o’, eventually giving rise to the modern exclamation mark.
@ (At Sign):
Origin: The exact origin is debated, but it’s believed to have been used as an accounting and invoice abbreviation meaning “at the rate of”.
- History: Its use in email addresses for user@host format started with Ray Tomlinson’s implementation of email.
# (Hash or Pound Sign):
Origin: Historically used as an abbreviation for “pound” in weight (lb).
- History: It was called the “hash” in many countries. With the rise of social media, especially Twitter, it has been popularly known as the “hashtag” when preceding keywords or phrases.
% (Percent Sign):
Origin: Derived from the Italian term “per cento”, meaning “by the hundred”.
- History: The symbol is an evolution of the practice of writing “per cento” as two words. The ‘c’ from “cento” got overlaid on the ‘o’, leading to the formation of the modern symbol.
$ (Dollar Sign):
Origin: The exact origins are debated, but one theory suggests it evolved from the Spanish peso symbol ‘Ps’ written out, with the ‘S’ and ‘P’ being superimposed.
- History: This symbol is universally recognized as representing the US dollar today, but it’s also used for various other currencies.
