the word "obelus" comes from the greek word for a sharpened stick, spit, or pointed pillar. this is the same root as that of the word "obelisk". the obelus was first used as a symbol for division in 1659, in the algebra book "teutsche algebra" by johann rahn. today, the obelus is used occasionally, mostly as a standalone symbol for the division operation itself (as on a calculator), or as an operator in elementary arithmetic. in most cases, division is now represented using other ways, often by a forward slash (/), also known as "solidus".