A dagger, or obelisk, U+2020 † dagger (HTML: †), is a
typographical symbol or glyph. The term "obelisk" derives from
Greek ὀβελίσκος (obeliskos), which means "little obelus"; from
Ancient Greek: ὀβελός (obelos) meaning "roasting spit". It was
originally represented by the ÷ symbol and was first used by the
Ancient Greek scholars as critical marks in manuscripts. A
double dagger or diesis, U+2021 ‡ double dagger (HTML: ‡), is a
variant with two handles. Neither should be confused with the
Christian cross symbol. The dagger symbol originated from a
variant of the obelus (plural: obeli), originally depicted by a
plain line (-) or a line with one or two dots (÷). It
represented an iron roasting spit, a dart, or the sharp end of a
javelin, symbolizing the skewering or cutting out of dubious
matter. The obelus is believed to have been invented by the
Homeric scholar Zenodotus as one of a system of editorial
symbols. They were used to mark questionable or corrupt words or
passages in manuscripts of the Homeric epics