The Infinity Symbol Has an Official Name

While the sideways figure eight is universally recognized as the symbol for infinity, its formal name is the lemniscate. This elegant term is derived from the Latin word "lemniscatus," meaning "decorated with ribbons," which perfectly describes its flowing, looped shape. The symbol was first introduced to the world of mathematics in 1655 by English mathematician John Wallis in his work *De Sectionibus Conicis*. Wallis needed a way to represent a quantity that was without any bound or end, and with his new symbol, the abstract concept of infinity was given a concrete form for calculations.

The true origin of Wallis's choice of this particular shape, however, remains a fascinating historical mystery, as he never documented his reasoning. Scholars have proposed two primary theories. The first suggests that the lemniscate is a variation of the Roman numeral for 1,000 (originally CIƆ, later simplified to M), which was commonly used to represent any large, uncountable number. A second, more symbolic theory connects it to the ancient ouroboros, the image of a serpent devouring its own tail. This powerful emblem, representing eternity and endless cycles, would have been a fitting inspiration for a symbol meant to capture the very essence of the infinite.