Most languages have their own name for the symbol. At sign, symbol (@) used primarily to direct electronic communication to specified entities, most notably in email addresses and social media handles Before the late 20th century its primary use was commercial, where it signified “at the rate of.” Before the @ symbol became a standard key, the @ sign had a long past Learn its history, use & meaning now. Learn about the 'at sign,' its history, uses in email addresses and social media, etymology, and more
Explore how this symbol has become ubiquitous in digital communication. What is an at sign An at sign (@) is a symbol that is commonly used before the email domain name in email addresses This symbol may also be used to informally substitute for the word at and is often used for a specific reason on social media. Check alt codes and learn how to make specific symbols on the keyboard. For nearly a century, the symbol was primarily used as shorthand for the phrase at the rate of, as in the following example
There are dozens of strange terms to describe the @ symbol Several languages use words that associate the shape of the symbol with some type of animal Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the @ symbol was used to represent the cost or weight of something. Macros are always surrounded by the at sign (@), and are thus delineated in the page If an at sign ( @ ) character is included in the password, the at sign character will be preceded by a backslash.
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