Tick (checkmark)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A tick (known as a checkmark or check in American English) is a mark (✓) (
) used to indicate the concept "yes", for example "yes, this has been verified" or "yes, I agree". Its opposite is the cross (✗) (
), although the cross can also be positive, for example in elections.
As a verb, to tick (off) or to check (off) means to add such a mark. It is quite common, especially on printed forms, printed documents, and computers, for there to be squares in which to place ticks. In America, it is more common for people to check a square box with a cross (☒); while in some European countries, it is more common for people to check a square box with a v-shaped checkmark.[citation needed]
In some countries, e.g. Finland and Sweden, the tick is used as an error mark and indicates "no" rather than "yes". In Japan, a circle is used instead of a tick to mean 'yes'.
A rainbow-colored checkmark was also used for the Amiga logo during the Commodore era of the Amiga (1985-1994).
[edit] History
The history of the checkmark goes back to the ancient Romans: When keeping checklists, they marked the items that they had checked with a V, standing for the Latin word veritas ("truth").[citation needed]
Another history suggests that it comes from the use of fountain pens. A fountain pen (a "self-filling pen" not a dip pen or a quill pen) would not always start flowing ink without some initial action. The downstroke of the pen's nib was enough to get the ink flowing and then the ink was available for the upstroke.[citation needed]
[edit] Tick marks in Unicode
Unicode provides various related symbols, including:
| Symbol | Unicode Codepoint (Hex) | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ✓ | U+2713 | CHECK MARK (tick) |
| ✔ | U+2714 | HEAVY CHECK MARK (bold tick) |
| ✗ | U+2717 | BALLOT X (cross) |
| ✘ | U+2718 | HEAVY BALLOT X (bold cross) |
| ☐ | U+2610 | BALLOT BOX (square) |
| ☑ | U+2611 | BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK (square with tick) |
| ☒ | U+2612 | BALLOT BOX WITH X (square with cross) |
