Arroba AT Symbol (@) sign
The at sign (@) is one of the most used symbols not only for emails , but it also has functions that can help you in various operations and computer orders that could save your life in this world of technologies. At symbol, represented by the @ character, is an element that is used in email addresses to differentiate and separate the username from the server name , for example user @ server.
It is also used in other social networks to mention a user’s account, for example, Twitter or Instagram. However, its use is much broader and can be used as a sign to indicate those premises or stores where they offer Internet access.
The symbol arroba does not have a specific origin, however, it is believed that this term derives from the Arabic ar-rub , which means “fourth part”, since, approximately, during the 16th century it was used as a measure of weight and volume of merchandise solid as liquid. Four arrobas formed a larger unit known as quintal.
As for the character or graphic representation of the “@”, researchers have determined that it comes from the Latin preposition ad , which means ʽenʼ, ʽaʼ, ʽtoʼ or ʽhaʼ, which during the Middle Ages was used to writing by joining the two letters .
In English, the Latin preposition ad is translated as at , meaning ʽenʼ, so this symbol is read in English as at and is related to the use of the at sign in computing.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the Royal Spanish Academy does not approve the use of the symbol arroba to refer to the feminine and masculine form of some words such as, for example, tod @ s, hij @ s, chic @ s, in order to avoid sexist use of language or save time in writing words.
Although it currently has very diverse uses, the origin of its popularity dates back to the end of the Middle Ages, when arroba was used as a measure to refer to a quantity of wine and grain, or to its price. From there it would have extended, later, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world, to a meaning of the type of “the price of each unit” or “each unit at a price of”; for example: Each book @ 5.00 US dollars .
The term arroba has Arabic origin (ar-rub) and means “the fourth part”. Today, the presence of the at sign on keyboards and computer encodings has made it have several uses. The most common are:
• In computer applications and social networks , such as Twitter or Instagram, to indicate a username.
• It is part of the email or email addresses ; for example, number@etc.com reads “number at ect dot com”.
• Sometimes it is used to indicate places, because in English it is read “at”, which seems to refer to a location: “en”, “a”, “next to” …
• To indicate a general neutral gender assumption (neither feminine nor masculine); for example “Hello everyone”. This use arises from the fact that the @ symbol looks like a letter “o” that encompasses an “a”, masculine and feminine symbols respectively.
In Spanish the unmarked gender is the masculine gender; therefore, in general, the use of the at sign to indicate neutral gender is a frowned upon practice.
In the first half of the 20th century, the @ symbol was used in engineering and mathematics textbooks to represent the area. It can also be used in architecture, technical drawing and graphic design to indicate coordinates. This is used, for example, in the AutoCAD program.
In most keyboards the at sign (@) is located in the upper left area, generally in the “2” key, and is activated by holding down the AltGr key (see image).
If the at sign does not appear on a computer keyboard, or the key does not work, it can be done in all languages by pressing the Alt key while typing the number 64 with the right numeric keypad.
There are compatibility differences in various keyboards of a laptop and desktop computer, as well as operating systems or programs that prevent the direct use of this symbol, so it is necessary to use some formulas from the keyboard to achieve the at sign. Next, we are going to describe some shortcuts that will allow you to put @ on different computers, without having to resort to specialized software or advanced tricks.
1. How to put at (@) with the keyboard?
Using your preferred browser:
If you cannot type the at sign from your keyboard, then you can go to your preferred browser and what it will do is put the word “at” in the search engine and when the results appear, copy and paste the @ into the place you need.
Other options:
- Using the keyboard: Alt Gr + Q
- Using numeric keypad: Alt + 6 and 4
- If the @ appears on your keyboard at number 2 then use: Alt Gr + 2
- If you have a macOs use: Alt / Options Right + Number 2
- On a laptop with a numeric keypad, press Ctrl + Alt + 2 or Alt + 64
- On an English keyboard for the United States, press Shift + 2
- On an English keyboard for the UK, use Shift + ‘
- On an Italian keyboard, press Alt Gr + Q
- On a French keyboard, press Alt Gr + à
- On a MacBook Pro: press Alt + 2 keys
- If your keyboard is in English, press Alt + G
If you can not with the previous shortcuts you could use Ctrl + AltGr + Q from your browser of choice
2. What does the at sign (@) mean and what is it for?
There is no doubt that @ is the characteristic symbol of the Internet, but nobody really knows where it comes from.
In the past, the at sign was used in reports from merchants and accountants, but Ray Tomlinsin decided to change the story, as he gave @ another use and for this reason is considered the inventor of email.
He plucked the @ from his keyboard in 1971 to locate it between the username and the destination address when he sent the first message between two computers in his office and thus changed the future of the curious doodle that until then had had a dignified life but without startles, sharing a key with some number.
Tomlinson chose the at sign because it was rarely used in computing back then, and he wanted to avoid confusing older programs or operating systems.
1.1 HP Laptop
If you have an HP laptop and your keyboard has more than one number 2 key symbol, press Ctrl + Shift + 2 to type the at sign . But, if the at sign is found on the letter Q key, hold down the ALT GR key and then press Q to type the @ sign.
1.2 Lenovo Laptop
If you have a Lenovo laptop you can do the arroba with these four ways:
1. Right shift + 2
2. Alt Gr + 2
3. Alt Gr + Q
4. Shift + 2
1.3 Toshiba Laptop
You must press the combination of Alt Gr + the 2 key. Another option to do the at sign is going to the beginning and typing in the search field “on-screen keyboard” and if you press the AltGr key inside the on-screen keyboard it will indicate all the possible combinations.
1.4 Sony Laptop
If you have a Sony laptop you can do the arroba with these four ways:
1. Right shift + 2
2. Alt Gr + 2
3. Alt Gr + Q
4. Shift + 2
2. How to do the arroba at symbol in computer – PC?
If you use a PC keyboard with Windows operating system you must press the Alt + 64 key to make the at sign. And if you are on a Windows laptop you must press Alt + 2.
3. How is the arroba at symbol done in a MAC?
If you went from a computer with Windows operating system to a MAC and you don’t usually find a way to do the at sign , follow these steps.
3.1 Writing the at sign in MAC is very simple. The first thing you should know is that the keyboard of an Apple computer works differently from that of Windows. Therefore, to achieve the arroba, you must press the “Alt + 2” key.
3.2 If you see that this key combination does not work for you, it may be because you have the keyboard configured in another language, probably in English. To do this, you must try “Alt + G”, the combination for keyboards configured in English.
4. How to make arroba at symbol on mobile devices?
4.1 On Android, depending on the keyboard that is installed, the at sign may appear on the main screen or you will have to access the numeric keyboard (identified by the number 123) and it will be available there.
IPhone 4.2 will also need to use the keyboard numeric and symbol of the arroba you find to the right side of the screen.
5. How to put the arroba at symbol without the ALT?
The mentioned solution instantly so that you can do the at sign is to copy and paste the symbol directly. You just have to put the word “at” in your search engine, select it with a double click and then press “Control + C” and then paste it in the text box where you need it.
What is the arroba and what is it for?
The at sign is a critical component of email addresses. Originally the @ is a unit of measurement that was used mainly in Spain and Latin America for commercial transactions.
But what does a unit of measurement have to do with email ? At the end of the 19th century, it was decided that the at sign (@) should be incorporated into the keyboard of typewriters to facilitate and speed up the work of those who wrote commercial documents.
When Ray Tomlinson invented email or e-mail in 1971, he looked for a symbol that would serve to separate the user’s name from the destination address. So he chose the arroba because back then it was rarely used in computing.
Currently, the at sign is not only used for sending emails, since social networks such as Twitter , Facebook , Instagram or Google have also adopted this symbol, since @ is used when one of the users of these social networks mentions another .
