Math

The term "percent" is derived from the Latin per centum, meaning "hundred" or "by the hundred".^[6][7] The sign for "percent" evolved by gradual contraction of the Italian term per cento, meaning "for a hundred". The "per" was often abbreviated as "p."—eventually disappeared entirely. The "cento" was contracted to two circles separated by a horizontal line, from which the modern "%" symbol is derived.^[8]