# Section marks (legal punctuation).

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/section-marks-legal-punctuation/32483>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 8, 2000, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/section-marks-legal-punctuation/32483 "2000-09-08T12:46:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Big\_Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b19c9b/32.png) [@Big\_Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Jake)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2000, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/section-marks-legal-punctuation/32483/1 "2000-09-08T12:46:33Z")

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We all know what an ampersand is. What, however, is the name for the legal punctuation mark indicating the word “section”? (The only reference I have seen lists it as “section mark”, but that’s so unromantic).

Thoughts are appreciated.

Knowledge is power.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2000, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/section-marks-legal-punctuation/32483/2 "2000-09-08T12:54:35Z")

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Speaking as someone who must occasionally label punctuation marks as part of her work, I can confirm that it is indeed a section mark.

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2000, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/section-marks-legal-punctuation/32483/3 "2000-09-08T13:20:44Z")

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§

Just because I can 😃