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Glite Dictionary
#️⃣ Hashtag symbol 💷 Currency symbol
pound sign

pound sign

3.3
A symbol £ used to show British money on prices
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : símbolo de la libra
  • When traveling in the UK, you will see the pound sign (£) on many price tags.

Examples

  • When you see the pound sign (£), it indicates prices in the UK currency.

  • Make sure to include the pound sign (£) when writing your check for the payment.

  • Please write the amount in the space next to the pound sign on the form.

  • The new keyboard has a dedicated key for the pound sign.

  • The pound sign is important.

  • Don't forget the pound sign!

  • The pound sign is commonly used in menus to show the cost of meals.

Surface Forms

pound sign singular
pound signs plural
pound signs plural
pound sign singular

Morphology

pound + sign

The compound is compositionally a 'sign' related to 'pound', so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a symbol for something called "pound". However, the conventional target symbol varies by dialect/use (many speakers expect '£' for the currency while American usage often calls '#' the "pound sign"), so the specific reference to the hash/number symbol is a culturally-specific naming convention and not reliably predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Pound sign (£) may come from an old handwritten L for the Latin word 'libra' which meant a pound as a weight. People used a short, fancy L when writing prices, so pound sign came to stand for the 'pound' money.