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octothorpe

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oc·to·thorpe  (kt-thôrp)
n.
The symbol (#).

[Coined in the 1960s by researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories : octo- (probably in reference to the eight endpoints of the lines in the symbol) + -thorpe (perhaps from thorp, in reference to the resemblance of the symbol to a village surrounded by fields, or after James Francis Thorpe, because one of the researchers was an advocate of the restoration of Thorpe's Olympic medals).]

octothorpe - The pound key on a keyboard or keypad is technically an octothorpe.
See also related terms for keyboard.


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Usually regarded as a sign for a number, the correct term for the # symbol is an octothorpe.
An octothorpe "#" indicates the attribute is a component of the primary identifier for the entity type, and an asterisk "*" means the attribute is mandatory.
The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.
 
 
 
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