super-acapnotic commented on the list keyboard-signs
ASPERAND Rick McLaughlin told me about this word. When many years
ago I wrote (http://wwwords.org?ATAT) about the varied names used
worldwide for the symbol that in English is formally "commercial
at" (@) this one didn't feature. There are many references to it
online, the earliest being a posting on misc.writing on 31 December
1996 in which Jerry Kindall notes that he recently heard the word.
A rare sighting in print is in Grammar with a Global Perspective by
F Melrose Davis, in which the alternative "ampersat" is also given.
That's slightly older: Tim Gowens was recorded as suggesting it in
February 1996 in the British newspaper, the Independent, as a blend
of "ampersand" and "at". "Asperand" might also be a type of blend,
from "asterisk" and "ampersand", but that's a guess. Neither word,
despite appearing in at least one dictionary of computing, shows
any signs of becoming popular. They are mentioned, but are not used
unselfconsciously as the name for the symbol, though Mr McLaughlin
says he uses "asperand".
November 12, 2007
super-acapnotic commented on the list acapnotic-s-words
From: a·cap·ni·a, which is a condition marked by an unusually low concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and tissues. New Latin, from Latin acapnos, without smoke (which contains carbon dioxide), from Greek akapnos : a-, not; see a-1 + kapnos, smoke.
Therefore, I am "acapnotic" or a non-smoker. A nice stretch.
November 9, 2007
super-acapnotic's Comments
Comments by super-acapnotic
super-acapnotic commented on the list keyboard-signs
ASPERAND Rick McLaughlin told me about this word. When many years
ago I wrote (http://wwwords.org?ATAT) about the varied names used
worldwide for the symbol that in English is formally "commercial
at" (@) this one didn't feature. There are many references to it
online, the earliest being a posting on misc.writing on 31 December
1996 in which Jerry Kindall notes that he recently heard the word.
A rare sighting in print is in Grammar with a Global Perspective by
F Melrose Davis, in which the alternative "ampersat" is also given.
That's slightly older: Tim Gowens was recorded as suggesting it in
February 1996 in the British newspaper, the Independent, as a blend
of "ampersand" and "at". "Asperand" might also be a type of blend,
from "asterisk" and "ampersand", but that's a guess. Neither word,
despite appearing in at least one dictionary of computing, shows
any signs of becoming popular. They are mentioned, but are not used
unselfconsciously as the name for the symbol, though Mr McLaughlin
says he uses "asperand".
November 12, 2007
super-acapnotic commented on the list acapnotic-s-words
From: a·cap·ni·a, which is a condition marked by an unusually low concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and tissues. New Latin, from Latin acapnos, without smoke (which contains carbon dioxide), from Greek akapnos : a-, not; see a-1 + kapnos, smoke.
Therefore, I am "acapnotic" or a non-smoker. A nice stretch.
November 9, 2007