at sign meaning

  "at sign" in a sentence
[Computer]
<character> "@". ASCII code 64. Common names: at sign, at, strudel. Rare: each, vortex, whorl, INTERCAL: whirlpool, cyclone, snail, ape, cat, rose, cabbage, amphora. ITU-T: commercial at.

The @ sign is used in an electronic mail address to separate the local part from the hostname. This dates back to July 1972 when Ray Tomlinson was designing the first e-mail program.

It is ironic that @ has become a trendy mark of Internet awareness since it is a very old symbol, derived from the latin preposition "ad" (at).

Giorgio Stabile, a professor of history in Rome, has traced the symbol back to the Italian Renaissance in a Roman mercantile document signed by Francesco Lapi on 1536-05-04.

In Dutch it is called "apestaartje" (little ape-tail), in German "affenschwanz" (ape tail). The French name is "arobase". In Spain and Portugal it denotes a weight of about 25 pounds, the weight and the symbol are called "arroba". Italians call it "chiocciola" (snail).

See @-party.
  • sign:    Verb: sign &n ...
  • sign for:    1. sign for sth to ...
  • sign in:    Verb: sign inAnnou ...

Examples

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  1. most notably, you can use it with the at sign
  2. parameter names must be preceded by the at sign
  3. naming convention uses the function name preceded by an at sign
  4. specify a parameter name by using an at sign
  5. calling conventions, and a leading at sign to names modified by the

Related Words

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  2. at sea level meaning
  3. at second hand meaning
  4. at short notice meaning
  5. at sight meaning
  6. at sixes and sevens meaning
  7. at so meaning
  8. at so many days' sight meaning
  9. at so's beck and call meaning
  10. at so's doorstep meaning
PC Version