The dictionary definition of caret doesn't make any nod to this usage, and instead only offers:Ī wedge-shaped mark made on written or printed matter to indicate the place where something is to be insertedĪnd while Wikipedia describes the usage as a control character it states nothing about the history of this usage so far as I can find. Then, type any of the available characters, and the accent will be added to that letter. Hold down the Option key followed by the appropriate symbol and the accent will appear underlined in your document.
If you want to realize these arrow signs under Mac / Macbook, youll have to open the Character Viewer which will allow you to realize Arrows and lots of other symbols like emoji, accented letters, symbols, and characters from other languages into your texts. Shortcuts for Accents on a Mac: Follow these key strokes to add accents to characters.
#MAC KEYBOARD SYMBOLS CARAT MANUALS#
Some things have used alternate notation for example, Emacs stands out for using C- instead, and many user manuals simply write control- or ctrl-, much as how alt- is still commonplace (a notable exception being Apple's modern use of ⌥ for Option, and similarly ⌘ for Command, which of course used to be represented with the Apple logo instead, with both open and filled variants on the earliest Apple computers). Make the arrows with keyboard shortcuts under Mac / Mac Book. Just remember that practice makes perfect, and you can always get your own printable cheat sheet with the most useful keyboard shortcuts on Mac. You can download and install Symbol Keyboard - 2000+ Signs free from this post.Using on PC from here is.
Why was this character used to indicate this? Was it simply that the symbol wasn't being used for anything else at the time, or is there an etymological history where that makes sense? Understanding the Mac keyboard symbols and modifiers can be life-changing, although it might take a while for you to get the hang of them all. Get links to Download, install and use Symbol Keyboard - 2000+ Signs on your Windows PC. From my understanding, the caret character ( ^) has been used to indicate Ctrl-key combinations since the early UNIX days, if not earlier.