Infinity Symbol ∞ ♾
Meaning, History & How to Type It
Everything about the infinity symbol ∞ — what it means across maths, philosophy, spirituality, and pop culture; its history and origin; all Unicode variants; how to type it on any device; and how it’s used in bios, tattoos, and branding.
What the Infinity Symbol Means
In mathematics
In maths ∞ represents a value that is larger than any finite number — a concept rather than an actual number. It appears in calculus (limits, integrals that extend to infinity), set theory (infinite sets), and real analysis. The symbol doesn’t behave like a regular number: ∞ + 1 = ∞, and ∞ – ∞ is undefined. Georg Cantor’s work in the 19th century revealed that there are actually different sizes of infinity — the infinity of real numbers is strictly larger than the infinity of natural numbers.
In philosophy and spirituality
Philosophically, infinity represents that which has no limit, no beginning, and no end. In many spiritual traditions, infinity is associated with the divine or the absolute — something beyond human comprehension. In Hinduism, the concept of Ananta (अनन्त) represents infinite, eternal existence. In Abrahamic religions, God is described as infinite in knowledge, power, and presence.
The ouroboros — an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail — is widely considered a visual precursor to the infinity sign. It represented cycles, eternity, and the self-referential nature of existence across Egyptian, Norse, and Greek mythology.
In relationships and pop culture
∞ is one of the most popular tattoo symbols globally — representing eternal love, unending connection, or a commitment to something that will never end. “To infinity and beyond” (from Toy Story) made the concept of boundless possibility part of popular vocabulary. The infinity symbol appears in jewellery (often as an infinity necklace or ring given between partners), in brand logos representing reliability or unlimited scale, and in social media bios to signal openness, limitlessness, or a philosophical outlook.
The neurodiversity symbol
The infinity symbol ♾ (specifically the rainbow infinity) is used by the autism rights movement and neurodiversity advocates to represent the infinite variety of human neurological experience. It was chosen deliberately to counter the puzzle piece symbol — the infinity sign suggests wholeness and variety rather than incompleteness.
History & Origin of ∞
The infinity symbol was introduced by the English mathematician John Wallis in 1655 in his work Arithmetica Infinitorum. Wallis used it as a convenient notation for “a quantity larger than any assignable quantity” — a concept mathematicians had been grappling with since ancient Greece but had no standard notation for.
The precise origin of the shape is debated. Leading theories include:
Roman numeral for 1000: The Romans sometimes wrote CIƆ (a C, an I, and a rotated C) to represent 1000 — often contracted to ∞-like shapes. Since large numbers were associated with infinity, Wallis may have adapted this.
The Greek letter omega (ω): Some historians believe Wallis may have based the shape on a stylised version of ω, the last letter of the Greek alphabet — since omega was already associated with concepts of completion and endlessness.
The lemniscate: The infinity symbol is also called a lemniscate (from the Latin lemniscus, meaning ribbon). The curve was studied by Jakob Bernoulli in 1694, describing a figure-eight shaped algebraic curve — though this postdates Wallis’s notation.
All Infinity Symbol Variants
How to Type ∞ on Every Device
∞∞∞content: '\221E'How ∞ Is Used — Copy Ready Examples
FAQ
What is the infinity symbol called? The mathematical infinity symbol ∞ is called the “infinity sign” or formally the “lemniscate” (from the Latin for ribbon). Its Unicode name is INFINITY (U+221E). The emoji version ♾️ was originally called the “Permanent Paper Sign” before being given emoji presentation.
Who invented the infinity symbol? English mathematician John Wallis introduced the ∞ symbol in 1655 in his work Arithmetica Infinitorum. The precise inspiration for the shape is debated — theories include the Roman numeral for 1000, the Greek letter omega, and the natural figure-eight curve traced by a stylus.
What is the difference between ∞ and ♾️? ∞ (U+221E) is the standard mathematical infinity sign — a plain text character used in equations, documents, and technical writing. ♾️ is the infinity emoji — the same shape rendered as a coloured graphic. Use ∞ in maths and formal writing; use ♾️ in social media and casual messaging. Note that ♾️ is not supported in Twitter/X display names to avoid confusion with the verification checkmark.
What does ∞ mean as a tattoo? The infinity symbol tattoo most commonly represents eternal love or commitment — between partners, family members, or as a personal philosophy. Often combined with names, dates, or other symbols. A broken infinity or the word “hope” on an infinity sign are also popular variations representing resilience and persistence through difficulty.
Is infinity a number? No — infinity is a concept, not a number in the conventional sense. You can’t use it in arithmetic the way you use regular numbers: 1/0 is undefined, not infinity; ∞ – ∞ is undefined; and ∞ × 0 is indeterminate. In mathematics, infinity is formally handled through limits, set theory, and extended number systems like the projectively extended real line.
What does the rainbow infinity symbol mean? The rainbow infinity ♾ (sometimes rendered with rainbow colours) is the symbol of the neurodiversity movement and autism rights movement. It represents the infinite variety of human minds and neurological experience — chosen as an affirmative alternative to symbols that imply autism is a puzzle or something missing.