º
Masculine Ordinal Indicator
The masculine ordinal indicator (º) creates masculine ordinal numbers in Spanish and Portuguese, while also serving as a degree symbol for temperature and angular measurements in scientific and everyday contexts.
Technical Details
- ASCII Code
- 186
- HTML Entity
- º
- Hexadecimal
- 0xBA
- Binary
- 10111010
- Octal
- 272
Usage & Examples
Programming
char symbol = 'º'; // ASCII 186HTML/Web
º or ºCommon Uses
How to Type This Character
Windows
Mac
💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!
Related Characters
About the Masculine Ordinal Indicator
Dual Functionality
Serves both as masculine ordinal marker (1º, 2º, 3º) in Spanish/Portuguese and as degree symbol for temperature and angles. This dual purpose makes it essential for both linguistic precision and scientific notation across multiple contexts.
Grammatical Accuracy
Maintains proper gender agreement in Spanish and Portuguese ordinal numbers when modifying masculine nouns, demonstrating linguistic competency and cultural awareness in Romance language communication.
Scientific Notation
Universal symbol for degrees in temperature (25º C, 77º F) and angular measurements (90º angle, 180º rotation), making it essential for scientific, technical, and educational communications worldwide.
Professional Communication
Standard notation in business documents, academic papers, and technical specifications, where both linguistic accuracy and scientific precision are required for professional credibility.
History of the Masculine Ordinal Indicator
Angular Measurement Origins
Ancient mathematicians and astronomers developed degree notation for angular measurements, creating the conceptual foundation for the º symbol in geometric and astronomical calculations.
Romance Language Development
Spanish and Portuguese evolved systematic gender marking in ordinal numbers, necessitating abbreviated forms that preserved masculine grammatical distinctions.
Scientific Revolution
Renaissance scientists standardized degree notation for temperature and angular measurements, while Spanish/Portuguese scholars used º for masculine ordinal abbreviations.
International Standardization
Scientific communities adopted º as the universal degree symbol, while Hispanic and Lusophone cultures maintained its use for masculine ordinal notation.
Global Integration
International typography and computing systems integrated º support for both scientific and linguistic applications, enabling its continued dual functionality in digital communications.
Cultural Impact
The masculine ordinal indicator became essential to both Romance language precision and international scientific communication, bridging linguistic authenticity with universal scientific notation.
Usage Examples
Spanish Masculine Ordinals
ExampleMasculine ordinal abbreviations in Spanish grammar
Temperature Measurements
ExampleTemperature notation in scientific and weather contexts
Angular Measurements
ExampleGeometric and mathematical angle notation
Portuguese Usage
ExamplePortuguese masculine ordinal notation in formal contexts