24 Jul
1998
24 Jul
'98
6:28 a.m.
On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, D. Peschel wrote:
Now that is fascinating. Really!
- don
> The thing
actually has an official name, but I doubt many people still use
> it. Its an "octothorpe"!
You mean those little 'prongs' sticking
out on the four sides are
"thorpes"? How 'bout that! Learn something new every day. :)
No, the squares framed by the lines are "thorpes." The unmarked square is not
a thorpe.
1 | 2 | 3
---+-----+---
4 | | 5
---+-----+---
6 | 7 | 8
At least, that's the way I understand it. Apparently the symbol was used on
maps to denote small villages. Also apparently, the symbol depicts a village
surrounded by eight crop fields; this relates to the name ("octo" +
"thorpe" =
"eight" + "field"). I thought the word "thorpe" (as used
in English place-
names) referred to the village itself, but I could be wrong.
Whatever the story, octothorpe DOES seem to be the official name!
-- Derek