We come across a thousand symbols every day, each having a meaning of their own. We use a lot of them as well, especially when words are not enough to convey our feelings. But, have you ever wondered if the meaning you are stating is right? Do you know how these symbols originated? What are the meanings behind those symbols?
We decided to go through some of the symbols that we use as a daily affair and bring you the hidden meanings; much of which are hidden to you.
The Ampersand
1
The Ampersand symbol has a Latin origin. It represents the Latin conjunction "et" which equals the word "and." This ligature goes back to the Ancient Rome where to speed up writing, Tiro invented a system of abbreviations which became quite known as the "Tironian Notes."Later the notes became popular in America and Europe
The Heart Symbol
2
Things aren't very straightforward when it comes to talking about the heart. Love is not the meaning of the heart symbol. Everyone knows that the shape of a heart is nothing like we draw in the papers. However, there are several stories:
#1When swans approach each other in the middle of a lake, like we see in movies and give a peck, their shapes merge into a shape similar to the heart symbol. In many of the world's cultures, these birds represent love, loyalty, and devotion. It is a renowned fact that swan pairs stay together for life.
#2Another hypothesis says that the symbol depicts the shape of the female pelvis. They even say that the heart symbol originally represented the feminine form.
#3I hope you might have seen the Greeks usually including ivy leaves in drawings, especially the one that portrayed Dionysus - the god of winemaking and patron of passion. There is also a theory stating that the symbol of a heart represents the shape of an ivy leaf.
The Bluetooth Symbol
3
How many of you remember the King Harald Blåtand, a historical figure who was famous for uniting Danish tribes into a single kingdom? He was often called "Bluetooth" since he was a known lover of blueberries, and one of his teeth had a permanent blue tint. The Bluetooth symbol representing this technology is a combination of two Scandinavian runes: "Hagall" (or "Hagalaz") which is the analog of the Latin "H," and "Bjarkan" - a rune that equals the Latin letter "B." Like we all know, the Bluetooth service lets two devices connect and share
The Medical Symbol
4
This symbol definitely has a lot of theories attached. The symbol basically has a staff and two snakes. Legends say that the Greek god Hermes aka Mercury possessed a magic staff. And the Caduceus had the power to stop any disputes between enemies, but it had nothing to do with medicine.
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The Power On Symbol
5
Yes, the same symbol that can be found on all devices. It goes back to the binary age in 1940 where engineers used a binary system for representing switches, where one meant on, and zero meant off. As the decades, it has transformed into a sign that means a circle (zero) and a vertical line (one).
The OK gesture
6
Yes, we know we have all used this quite a lot of times. But here's the sneak. There are a lot of theories related:
#1This again goes back in the time of U.S. President, Martin Van Buren and his birthplace "Old Kinderhook, NY." It was during his election campaign when he adopted an alias that sounded like the first letters of his hometown's name O.K. and the posters portrayed a person showing the "OK" gesture.
#2Another hypothesis goes back to the 7th U.S. President Andrew Jackson when he used this expression when finalizing his decisions.
#3Anther theory tells that it is nothing but a mudra. This is according to Buddhism and Hinduism.
The Peace Symbol
7
Let's go back to 1958 during the protests against the use of nuclear weapons, the symbol is a combination of "N" and "D," that stands for "Nuclear Disarmament."