octothorpe

[ ok-tuh-thawrp ]

noun
  1. a symbol (#) used for numerous purposes, such as before a hashtag, for representing “pound” or “pounds” as a unit of weight or mass, for representing “number” or “numbered,” or as a proofreader's symbol used to indicate the need to insert space: Any text following an octothorpe (#) is treated as a comment and ignored.: See also hash mark (def. 2), pound sign.

Origin of octothorpe

1
First recorded in 1970–75; octo-, after the eight endpoints on the perimeter of the symbol, plus a second element of disputed origin

word story For octothorpe

The second element in octothorpe is disputed, with three conflicting accounts about its origin. The most common explanation credits Don Macpherson, a researcher at Bell Laboratories, for merging the combining form octo- (after the symbol's eight points) with the surname of Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, of whom Macpherson was a fan. Another employee at Bell Laboratories, however, claimed that the original form of octothorpe was octatherp, formed somewhat randomly and with no deeper meaning of its own. A third idea is that the -thorpe part is simply the noun thorp, an archaic word for “village.” The connection here is that symbols resembling the octothorpe were once used to represent villages on older maps. For such a clear-cut symbol, the octothorpe certainly has a vague, fuzzy origin.

Words Nearby octothorpe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024