sharp s

See also: sharps

English

Etymology

Calque of German scharfes S

Noun

sharp s (plural sharp s's)

1. The character ß.
   • 1991, TEXT Technology, page 13:

     A minor but convenient feature is the ability to include words with accent marks (Umlauts, sharp s’s) (ß) into the text. The accent entry utility provides a quick and useful way of adding diacritical marks or sharp s’s in German) (ß) into the text.

   • 2000, African Philosophy, page 186:

     That there are sudden and unexplained changes of typeface (on p. 121) or that Greek betas appear in lieu of German sharp s’s could be construed as small oversights.

   • 2004, ““Women, their mindes are crystall”: Christopher Newstead’s Arguments for the Superiority of Women”, in Susan Gushee O’Malley, editor, “Custome Is an Idiot”: Jacobean Pamphlet Literature on Women, Urbana, Ill., Chicago, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, pages 116–117:

     The beginning of each chapter has been silently regularized (e.g., “REligion” becomes “Religion”), as have words with tildes (e.g., “burthe^~” becomes “burthen” and “woma^~” becomes “woman”) and sharp s’s (e.g., “amißa” becomes “amissa”).

Synonyms

• double S
• eszett

Translations

eszett — see eszett

Anagrams

• Spahrs, shraps