Vertical Bar / Pipe (|) Meaning & Symbolism

Vertical Bar / Pipe (|) — in computing, sends one program’s output into another; in typography, a divider.

Origin & History

The Vertical Bar / Pipe (|) (|) comes from The history of written and printed marks, from scribal shorthand to keyboard characters. Unix pipes made it legendary; it sits above the backslash on most keyboards.

Spiritual Meaning

Unix pipes made it legendary; it sits above the backslash on most keyboards.

Modern Usage

These marks are searched millions of times a year — usually mid-argument with a keyboard, trying to type one.