# Any symbol out there matching this description? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173 "2025-06-03T21:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/1 "2025-06-03T21:38:24Z")
Like a “V” with a rounded bottom, or equivalently a “U” that the arms widen at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/2 "2025-06-03T21:44:49Z")
Nothing from the Greek alphabet. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/3 "2025-06-03T21:50:51Z")
Live long and Prosper. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/4 "2025-06-03T21:52:40Z")
A stylized V with a rounded bottom can be used to represent a value in a formula that has another one already represented by a standard V. Say, you have “volume” and “velocity” in the same formula: “Volume” would be represented by a V and “Velocity” by the V/U bastard child. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/5 "2025-06-03T21:54:21Z")
Where have you seen this? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/6 "2025-06-03T21:56:19Z")
FWIW, [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqzMNC9Yeuggq5uhjNQDBQ0-mvTbHBJbq_Ng&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqzMNC9Yeuggq5uhjNQDBQ0-mvTbHBJbq_Ng&s) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/7 "2025-06-03T22:01:42Z")
I don’t think that’s a universal standard-- It might just be what that specific textbook uses. More often, if two quantities happen to be in the same equation, you come up with something on the spot (usually either making one capital and one lowercase, adding subscripts, or using a different letter entirely), and if they’re not in the same equation, you just don’t care and use the same symbol. That list covers disparate enough topics that it looks like it’s for an entire textbook, and the authors of that textbook apparently decided that they wanted a different symbol for everything, so all equations could be consistent with each other and you could create equations mixing anything at all. Which is certainly a reasonable editorial decision, but it isn’t the usual one. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/8 "2025-06-03T22:01:48Z")
That’s a lower case nu (Greek letter) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/9 "2025-06-03T22:02:36Z")
This is what nu looks like: \nu. That doesn’t sound like what the OP is describing. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/10 "2025-06-03T22:04:21Z")
You snuck in before I posted. I was trying to reply to @Elmer_J.Fudd ‘s cite which was for specific volume ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/11 "2025-06-03T22:10:29Z")
I guess if we had to name it, it would be an upward parabola. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/12 "2025-06-03T22:14:37Z")
In unicode, there is the symbol ᙀ: [Shapecatcher.com: Unicode character information for 'Canadian syllabics carrier zu' (0x1640)](https://shapecatcher.com/unicode/info/5696) from an Canadian aboriginal writing system: [The Carrier Syllabics](https://www.ydli.org/dakinfo/dulktop.htm) [![](https://fightingignorance.org/a2729905-c15c-4b29-b71a-4537b36152e4-shapecatcher-com-unicode-character-information-for-canadian-syllabics-carrier-zu-0x1640-june-03-03-13-23-pm.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/a2729905-c15c-4b29-b71a-4537b36152e4-shapecatcher-com-unicode-character-information-for-canadian-syllabics-carrier-zu-0x1640-june-03-03-13-23-pm.jpg) If that’s not quite the right shape, you can try drawing it yourself at [https://shapecatcher.com/](https://shapecatcher.com/) and seeing what it matches ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/13 "2025-06-03T22:21:49Z")
That’s a cool site. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/14 "2025-06-05T08:26:14Z")
never mind ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/15 "2025-06-05T08:31:00Z")
I tried to post saying that it sounds like some hekshers I’ve seen-- but not _exactly_ like any particular one, and got myself in trouble trying to link to images. A heksher is a symbol for kosher food. Anyway, it sounds enough like some I know of, that it could be a symbol of a smaller organization I don’t know of. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/16 "2025-06-05T11:32:50Z")
Are you talking about an upside-down Omega? ℧ Otherwise, I am not sure what you are describing. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/17 "2025-06-05T14:09:49Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > A heksher is a symbol for kosher food. I always knew that the U-in-a-circle meant “kosher” but I wondered what the U literally meant. Now I know it’s not even a U. ETA: I just now looked it up and it turns out to actually be a U inside an O. It stands for Orthodox Union. Either way, I just learned what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/18 "2025-06-05T17:11:16Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > It stands for Orthodox Union. Short for The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-symbol-out-there-matching-this-description/1019173/19 "2025-06-05T17:27:34Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > ETA: I just now looked it up and it turns out to actually be a U inside an O. It stands for Orthodox Union. Either way, I just learned what it meant. To be fair, has anyone ever figured that out on their own? After all, the registered trademark symbol isn’t an R inside an O, and the copyright symbol isn’t a C inside an O…