ethymology WEB

the <@> mark

According to one theory, the <@> mark may have originated as a contraction of the two characters a and d which constitute the latin word ad, to or towards. This ligature may have made its first appearance in the uncial handwriting of the 6th or 7th century. Another theory dates its origin to the Gothic scribes' preference for using abbreviations around the 12th century.
In 1971, it was first introduced by Ray Tomlinson in the computer operating system tenex as a delimiter for eMail adresses and a special character for programming.

sources:

Karl- Erik Tallmo, Spectrum Newsletter Vol 19, # 1
San Francisco Chronicle 961023

there is also a thread about the <@> mark on the < TYPO-L> mailing list.

It is interesting how different languages cope with the problem of finding an easily memorizable pronunciation for this strange but picturesque character.

danish

snabel
elephant's trunk

finnish

miuku mauku
the sound of cats

french

petit escargot
little snail

german

klammeraffe
spider monkey

israeli

schtrudel
a pastry

italian

chiocciolina
little snail

japanese

tanka

netherlands

apestaartje
monkey's tail

norwegian

kamel- bolle
a pastry

spanish

un arroba
a unit of about 25 pounds

If you know of any other translations in your own language, please eMail to:

ethymology@tamabi.ac.jp