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Division Sign Etymology Trivia

925BeginnerCombinatorics

Philippine Mathematical Olympiad

The symbol $\div$ is well-known nowadays to indicate division between two numbers. But during the late medieval period, it had a completely different purpose - it was used to mark words or passages which were spurious, corrupt, or doubtful. The actual name for this "division sign" comes from the ancient Greek word for a sharpened stick or pointed pillar. What is it?
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