Learn more about the origins and meanings of these symbols, along with tips on how to use them. The $ symbol is also used for currency in some countries other than the United States. # may be used in computing programming, math, web pages (such as shorthand for the permalink of a blog or to denote a special tag such as the hashtag on Twitter), chess, and copywriting. Clavis was primarily a key to a door. A hyphen is a short punctuation mark used to join words (such as well-read or jack-of-all-trades) and to separate syllables of a single word or the characters in a telephone number (123-555-0123). These are used for performing various functions. A mark of punctuation, the apostrophe (') indicates the omission of one or more letters. In some fonts, the asterisk is superscripted or made smaller than other symbols. Unbelievable! A pointing stick (nub or nipple) is a small joystick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in a computer keyboard.Like other pointing devices such as mice, touchpads or trackballs, operating system software translates manipulation of the device into movements of the pointer or cursor on the monitor. It varies by typeface, but it generally looks like a comma except it sits up above the baseline. The solidus (⁄) typically leans a bit more forward than the slash. Other names for the # include hex and octothorp. Technically, the punctuation characters referred to as slash are each a little different and have differing usage. If l drops out you have French / ke: / which would become /kei/ . Here "key" is a kind of metaphor for a part that works like a key to a door (for opening and closing) and produces an effect as making a sound or typing a letter. I found that a method I was hoping to publish is already known. Three-pound signs (###) often denotes "the end" in press releases or typed manuscripts. Solidus or Fullwidth Solidus (forward slash) /, https://www.lifewire.com/sam-costello-1998859 (web address). When it follows a number it is a pound (unit of weight) as in 3# (three pounds) (primarily U.S.). They slant or curl (in opposite directions) while the regular quotation mark or double prime is generally straight up and down. The inverted exclamation (¡) is a punctuation mark used in some languages, such as Spanish. Why are the “hands” of a clock called “hands”? Doris Day sings Que sara as /kei/ and why not /ki:/. The same key used to type an apostrophe (the single straight tick mark) is used for a prime. Want to improve this question? On standard U.S. keyboards, the # key is Shift+3. Yes, I think key derives from French clé and Latin clavis. Multiple marks such as "Good Grief!!!!!!" Originally of pianos, organs, etc., extended to other machines 1846. Lv 6. The keyboard is used for entering data into the computer system. The specific style of quotation mark varies by language or country. When # precedes a number it is a number as in #1 (number 1). Why are the buttons on computer keyboards called “keys”? A symbol that looks like a capital S with one or two vertical lines through it, the dollar sign represents currency in the US and some other countries and is also used in computer programming. Type Characters With Cedilla Accent Marks, The Best Bluetooth Keyboards for Smartphones. How can I change a math symbol's size globally? Or, use the Unicode numeric entity of & #8211; (no spaces). Similar to a parenthetical phrase (like this) the em dash sets apart clauses in a sentence or may be used to provide separation for emphasis. The glyph used for the apostrophe can vary depending on the type of document. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=key&searchmode=none, site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. The hyphen is the unshifted key between the 0 and +/= on a standard keyboard. On a phone keypad, it is commonly referred to as star. Seems that his version of the abbreviation for pesos was a little hard to decipher and when the U.S. needed a symbol to represent our money, the $ got the nod. I think Etymonline's cautious hint at someting like to cleave is very doubtful. It is also called stroke or virgule or diagonal. En dashes (–) are primarily for showing duration or range as in 9:00–5:00 or 112–600 or March 15–31. How do we get to know the total mass of an atmosphere? This is the same character used as the right or closed quote when using single quote marks. Stop jumping on the bed this instant! On a standard U.S. keyboard the \ shares a key with | (pipe/vertical bar - Shift+\) at the end of the QWERTY row of keys. On a Mac, use Shift+Option+] for a curly apostrophe. ¡Qué susto! What is the meaning of 肩にこてん in " 俺の肩にこてんと頭を預けて", Generic word for firearms with long barrels, Dirac Notation and Coordinate transformation of a function. What do you call that little button in the middle of the keyboard (laptop) that you can control your cursor? The asterisk can denote a wildcard, repetition, notations, multiplication (times), and footnotes. Usually written with one vertical stroke through it ($), it sometimes is seen with two parallel strokes. The phrase would not becomes the contraction wouldn't with the apostrophe indicating the missing o. On a standard English keyboard, the dollar sign is Shift+4. Exclamations are used to frame an exclamatory statement, with the upside-down or inverted exclamation at the beginning ¡ and the regular exclamation at the end ! - – —. For Windows, use ALT 0147 and ALT 0148 for the left and right double quotation marks (curly quotes). Please do your own reasearch before posting a question here and tell us what you found. The number sign generally consists of 2 (usually) horizontal lines and 2 forward slashes. The problem is the reduction of /kl/ to something simpler. This is a mathematical symbol used to denote a division into parts — most notably feet or minutes. There are two widely-accepted theories as to the origin of the exclamation mark: Various slang terms for the symbol include bang, pling, smash, soldier, control, and screamer. The mark used as an exclamation was originally a way of writing IO, a Latin word meaning exclamation or expression of joy. The typographic symbol used to designate the word and (&) is the Latin symbol for et which means and. Why should I expect that black moves Rxd2 after I move Bxe3 in this puzzle? Frequently seen written as a pair of hyphens, the em dash is a little longer than an en dash — roughly equivalent to the width of the lowercase m in the typeface in which it is set. On a phone keypad, it is known as the pound key (U.S.) or hash key in most English-speaking countries. Although you may think of the ampersand (&), asterisk (*), and pound sign (#) as typographical symbols found on your computer or phone keyboard, each of these symbols has its own history dating back before computers even existed. Why do people call an n-sided die a "d-n"? It is my view, but I didn't study the matter. The name, ampersand, is believed to be derived from the phrase and per se and. When converted to curly quotes there are two separate characters used: Left Double Quotation Mark (open) “ and Right Double Quotation Mark (closed) ”. Create em dashes in HTML with & #0151; (ampersand-no space, pound sign 0151 semi-colon). A computer keyboard has 104 keys. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. This is also a double prime used to denote inches and seconds (also see prime). . Thank you. It can type words, numbers and symbols. Use exclamation marks sparingly in text. it's not very big, usually its between the GHB keys. The exclamation (!) An asterisk is a star-like symbol (*) used in literature, math, computing, and many other fields. The ampersand is a form of ligature because it joins two characters into one. Pollack doesn't always get the credit. And I have the impression that /kl/ at the beginning of a word is sometimes reduced. Create en dashes with Option-hyphen (Mac) or ALT 0150 (Windows) — hold down the ALT key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. Whereas, the sharp is 2 vertical lines and 2 tilted lines so that it appears to be leaning back to the left while the number sign is more upright or leaning to the right. In many fonts, the ampersand looks much like a cursive S or a curvy plus sign but in other fonts, you can almost see the word Et in the design of the ampersand. A computer keyboard is a board of keys. It only takes a minute to sign up. In properly typeset material, dumb quotes are converted to curly quotes or typographer's quotes.