PLUS

, in Algebra, the affirmative or positive sign, +, signifying more or addition, or that the quantity following it is either to be considered as a positive or affirmative quantity, or that it is to be added to the other quantities; so , is read thus, 4 plus 6 is equal to 10. See Affirmative Sign.

The more early writers of Algebra, as Lucas de Burgo, Cardan, Tartaglia, &c, wrote the word mostly at full length. Afterwards the word was contracted or abbreviated, using one or two of its first letters; which initial was, by the Germans I think, corrupted to the present character +; which I find first used by Stifelius, printed in his Arithmetic.