Pilcrow Symbol (¶)

Medieval manuscripts were often written as one continuous, unbroken block of text — no line breaks or indentation the way modern paragraphs use. Scribes marked where a new line of argument began by inserting a special sign, often in red ink, which evolved into the ¶ shape.

The word "pilcrow" itself is a corruption of the Old French paragraphe, mangled through repeated English mispronunciation over the medieval period until it settled into its current, unrelated-sounding form. The symbol survives today mainly as the "formatting marks" indicator in word processors — Microsoft Word's Show/Hide ¶ button reveals exactly where each paragraph ends, a non-printing marker invisible until you ask to see it.