The at sign (@), also called the atmark, at symbol, or commercial at, is formally an abbreviation of the accounting and commercial invoice term 'at the rate of.' In recent years its meaning has changed to also mean 'at' in the sense of 'located at,' especially in email addresses. Increasingly, @ is also used as a prefix to user names (e.g., @username) on social websites such as Twitter to denote a link, attribution or indirect reference.
The History Of The @-Symbol.
2 comment(s):
When I learned that there is a word in Spanish (which I cannot now remember) I wondered if there were a word for the symbol in English. I offered all kinds of extra credit points, but none of my students could find one. With the help of a local librarian, I learned that the symbol is ancient--it used to stand for "amphora".
I believe the word for the @t sign in Spanish is arroba, an unit of weight.
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