Printersʹ Marks

? is [q over o]—that is, the first and last letters of quœstio (question).

! is [i over o] Io in Latin is the interjection of joy.

§ is a Greek p (π), the initial letter of paragraph.

^* is used by the Greek grammarians to arrest attention to something striking (asterisk or star).

† is used by the Greek grammarians to indicate something objectionable (obelisk or dagger).

(See Marks in Grammar.)

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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