What is an Octothorpe in computer terms?
Also called a hash, number sign, or pound sign, the octothorpe is the typographical symbol “#” (two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, crossed). On US QWERTY keyboards, the # symbol appears on the same key as the number 3. It can be typed by holding Shift and pressing the 3 key.
What is an Octothorpe used for?
3: The hashtag. Since the ascent of social media and its new prominence in everyday life, hashtag has become the favored name. 4: The octothorpe. It’s the official name for the # symbol, but what does it mean? It’s actually a made-up word, invented in the same laboratories where the telephone came from.
What’s the hashtag symbol called?
octothorp
The technical term for a hashtag is “octothorp,” according to the OED; octo, in reference to the eight points in the figure, and Thorpe, OED says cryptically, from “the surname Thorpe.” Whatever that means.
What does hashtag mean in text?
Definition of hashtag : a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet) You know a thing is really a thing these days when it has its own hashtag.
When did octothorpe become a word?
The first known use of octothorpe was in 1971.
How did octothorpe get its name?
The name octothorpe came about when hash hit the phones. It’s often thought that the hash key began its life in the undignified role as a function for signifying numbers over the phone on automated customer service systems. But it already existed on Qwerty typewriter keyboards before it reached telephone keypads.
What does hashtag mean in maths?
In math in general, the # symbol can be used to denote the Cardinality of a set, meaning the number of elements in the set. So #S would mean the number of elements in the set S.
Who first used hashtag?
Chris Messina
Chris Messina, a social technology expert, is credited to have come up with the very first hashtag on Twitter. He first posted the hashtag #barcamp in August 2007.