commercial at
"◊". {ASCII} code 64. Common names: at sign; at;
strudel. Rare: each; vortex; whorl; {INTERCAL}: whirlpool;
cyclone; snail; ape; cat; rose; cabbage; {ITU-T}: commercial
at.
The ◊ sign is used in an {electronic mail address} to separate
the local part from the {hostname}.
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).
In Dutch it is called "apestaartje" (little 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}.
(1999-11-23)