*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of @

The at-sign (@) resembles both the feminine ending/element a and the masculine o.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
symbol

Forming gender-neutral versions of Spanish-derived words by replacing both the masculine -o and feminine -a. · By extension, sometimes used to blend other pairs of words that differ by being spelled with o vs a.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The at-sign (@) resembles both the feminine ending/element a and the masculine o.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "-a-o-@",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "The at-sign (@) resembles both the feminine ending/element a and the masculine o."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "@",
      "@#English:_gender"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "symbol",
      "glosses": [
        "Forming gender-neutral versions of Spanish-derived words by replacing both the masculine -o and feminine -a.",
        "By extension, sometimes used to blend other pairs of words that differ by being spelled with o vs a."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "527662b5b6faba0b147d20f098c337728c2f91c61d8813e6ec899f07f398c52e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4b55412715d3a78b40db84fb19a259a7639bb7197d0debfd6f38b1a33e28c4ba",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226964
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
conj

or

symbol

Connecting a person's common name and alias, both of them are legal names.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Malay @, abbreviation of Malay atau (“or”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention@ms
  • Derivation mentionataums · or
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "@"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Malay @"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "atau",
        "t": "or"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay atau (“or”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "@",
      "@#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "atau",
      "atau#Malay"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "conj",
      "glosses": [
        "or"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Malaysia",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "2228a56541231c4c5c8708e3d897dcd7e746ec6bb4fb7c500a6c4d1dfde2056d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b07e7abbc9417f8794fe3103b6ad0acc2b43bf2112fc061256ba4603029e4d51",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226966
    },
    {
      "pos": "symbol",
      "glosses": [
        "Connecting a person's common name and alias, both of them are legal names."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Malaysia",
        "Singapore"
      ],
      "recordId": "5226b57bb8cabd698485bf85a19cf120496d1bf85c13638163b51528d9d89f97",
      "rawRecordSha256": "86e759b91af6cc508f7287a8cff82042cd769bb502e361ef8f642b4e48490dd1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226965
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for @ →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QA