C#
/see-sharp/ · noun · Development · Origin: 2000
Definitions
Microsoft's modern, object-oriented language for the .NET platform, combining the power of C++ with the productivity of Java. C# has evolved aggressively with features like async/await, LINQ, pattern matching, and nullable reference types, and it's the primary language for Unity game development and Windows enterprise applications.
In plain English: Microsoft's main programming language, used for Windows applications, enterprise software, and Unity video games.
Example: C# is what happens when Microsoft looks at Java and says 'we can do better' — and honestly, they kind of did.
Origin Story
A musical sharp note that's really two plus signs stacked
When Microsoft designed a new language for its .NET platform in 1999, the team led by Anders Hejlsberg initially called it **Cool** (C-like Object Oriented Language). Legal couldn't trademark such a generic word, so they needed another name.
The team settled on **C#** ("C sharp"), a musical reference: in music, a sharp raises a note by a half step. The '#' symbol is also visually suggestive of four '+' signs arranged in a grid, implying C# is an increment beyond C++.
The actual '#' character is technically a number sign or hash, not the musical sharp (which is ♯). This was a pragmatic choice -- the real sharp symbol isn't on standard keyboards. Microsoft officially uses '#' in all documentation.
Coined by: Anders Hejlsberg and the Microsoft C# team
Context: Microsoft, 1999-2000
Fun fact: Hejlsberg previously created Turbo Pascal and was the lead architect of Delphi at Borland. Microsoft reportedly paid him a $1.5 million signing bonus plus stock options to lure him away.