A typographic symbol (#) having two vertical lines intersected by two horizontal lines. It is also called the
crosshatch,
hash,
numeral sign and
number sign; in the U. S. it is commonly called the
pound sign, especially to designate the symbol as used on digital telephone dials, but this can be confusing to Europeans who think of the pound sign as the symbol for the British pound. It is commonly used as a symbol for the word
number;
as in #36 (meaning: number thirty-six). [
PJC]
"octothorp
Otherwise known as the numeral sign. It has also been used as a symbol for the pound avoirdupois, but this usage is now archaic. In cartography, it is also a symbol for village: eight fields around a central square, and this is the source of its name. Octothorp means eight fields."
[Joel Neely]