Angie's Page

The tilde (/ˈtɪldə/, /ˈtɪldi/; ˜ or ~ or "Squiggly") is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character comes from Portuguese and Spanish, originating from the Latin word titulus, meaning "title" or "superscription." Over time, the term "tilde" has evolved and now has a different meaning in linguistics.

The tilde originates from Latin manuscripts, where scribes used a similar mark called a "titulus" to denote omitted letters, usually nasal consonants like "n" or "m." This practice served as an abbreviation to conserve space and reduce writing effort.

what if we add two dots

In the Middle Ages, the tilde evolved into a specific diacritical mark in Spanish and Portuguese. In these languages, it indicated a nasal sound. In Spanish, the tilde is placed over the letter "n" (ñ) to form "eñe," representing a palatal nasal sound (as in "niño," meaning "child"). In Portuguese, the tilde is used over vowels to indicate nasalization, as in "não" (meaning "no") and "pão" (meaning "bread").

In mathematics and logic, the tilde has various meanings. In logic, it often denotes negation. For example, "~p" means "not p." In mathematics, it can indicate approximation or equivalence. For example, "π ≈ 3.14" might also be written as "π ~ 3.14."

The tilde has several uses in computer science. In Unix-based systems, the tilde represents a user's home directory. For example, "~" refers to the current user's home directory, and "~username" refers to the home directory of "username." It is used in some programming languages for bitwise NOT operations. For example, in C, "~x" flips the bits of the variable x.

In phonetics, the tilde is used to denote nasalization of vowels and consonants. In some languages, such as Estonian and Filipino, the tilde is used in dictionaries to represent the root of a word.

Today, the tilde retains its traditional roles and is also used creatively in informal contexts, such as online communication, to convey a playful or casual tone.

It captures a sense of warmth and informality. Its curving lines resemble gentle waves, creating a feeling of relaxation and ease.

~ play with this line ~

SVG Path Color Change

With its smile-like curve, the tilde sends out a lighthearted tone, acting as a subtle alternative to emojis or :)

make.. the smile

The tilde takes on a meaning that goes beyond its traditional roles, symbolizing a relaxed and friendly approach to communication and always spreading a cheerful “smile”.