octothorp • (noun) \AKH-tuh-thorp\

hear it again hear it again

: the symbol #

Example sentence:
The voice mail recording told me to enter my zip code followed by the pound sign, so I obediently punched in 0-1-1-0-2-octothorp.

Etymology:
The first printed evidence for "octothorp" dates to the early 1970s, so we know roughly when people started using it. What we don't know is why. Stories abound about who first called the # sign an "octothorp." All stories claim that the "octo-" part refers to the eight points on the symbol ("octo-" meaning "eight," as in "octopus"), but the "-thorp" part remains a mystery. One story relates it to athlete Jim Thorpe, and another traces it to an ancient Danish word. But the most vivid story links it to a telephone company employee who happened to burp while talking about the symbol with co-workers.

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