Tick (checkmark)

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A tick (known as a checkmark or check in American English) is a mark (✓) (Image:Yes check.svg) used to indicate the concept "yes", for example "yes, this has been verified" or "yes, I agree". Its opposite is the cross (✗) (Image:X mark 18x18 02.gif), 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:

[edit] See also

• Tally marks