Infinity Emoji

The infinity symbol. A horizontal figure-eight drawn in one continuous stroke, two loops crossing at a single cross in the middle. Mathematicians call it a lemniscate, from the Latin lemniscuslemniscus meaning ribbon. Livestock branders call it a "lazy eight." Everyone else just reads it as forever.

The shape was introduced by the English mathematician John Wallis in 1655 in his book De sectionibus conicisDe sectionibus conicis. He never explained why he chose it. The leading theories: a variant of the Roman numeral for 1,000 (CIↃ), or the lowercase Greek letter omega ω, the last letter of the alphabet. The word "lemniscate" came later, coined by Jacob Bernoulli in 1693 when he studied the shape as a curve in algebraic geometry.

The emoji has a weirder backstory than the symbol. The plain math infinity ∞∞ lives at Unicode codepoint U+221E, added in Unicode 1.1 (1993). But Unicode classified ∞ as a math symbol, which made it awkward to promote to emoji. So when Onelia Álvarez and Gonzalo Alonso submitted a proposal in February 2017, the Unicode Technical Committee didn't elevate ∞ at all. They reused U+267E instead, a completely different codepoint that originally meant PERMANENT PAPER SIGNPERMANENT PAPER SIGN, a bookbinding mark indicating acid-free archival paper. That symbol got renamed to INFINITYINFINITY and picked up emoji presentation in Emoji 11.0 (2018). ♾️ is technically not the math infinity. It's the recycled paper sign.

In texting ♾️ means forever. That's the whole thing. "Love you ♾️" is the canonical use, a commitment signal that strengthens whatever emotion it follows. Paired with ❤️ it becomes endless love. Paired with 🙏 it becomes eternal gratitude. Paired with 👨‍👩‍👧 it becomes family forever. The emoji does one job and does it cleanly.

The second major reading is the rainbow infinity symbol for autism and neurodiversity. Australian sociologist Judy Singer coined the term "neurodiversity" in 1998 and proposed the infinity symbol to represent the infinite variations in human neurological function. The rainbow version went public at Autistic Pride Day 2005. Autistic self-advocates promoted it as an alternative to the puzzle piece, which many felt implied autistic people were incomplete or needed to be solved. A gold variant emerged in parallel, using AuAu, the chemical symbol for gold, to echo the first two letters of autism. When ♾️ appears in Twitter bios next to 🌈 or 🏳️‍🌈, this is almost always the reading.

The third context is tattoos. The infinity symbol is one of the most requested tattoo designs globally, favored for its minimal wrist-friendly shape and its ability to fuse with other elements: names, dates, hearts, anchors, arrows, feathers. "Infinity + name" is a standard memorial design. "Infinity + two dates" often marks a couple. "Infinity + and beyondand beyond" references Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase from Toy Story, now so embedded in pop culture that Beyoncé and Justin Bieber both quote it in songs.

The emoji is also a Marvel reference. Following the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) culminating in Infinity War and Endgame, ♾️ started showing up in MCU fandom chatter to evoke the Infinity Stones, the six reality-shaping gems that drove the franchise. That reading is niche but recognisable inside fandom spaces.

♾️ has the most backwards origin story of any symbol emoji. It started as a mark for acid-free paper in the bookbinding industry, got renamed by Unicode twice, and arrived as the romantic-love emoji almost by accident.

The shape itself is much older. John Wallis, an English mathematician, introduced ∞ in his 1655 treatise De sectionibus conicisDe sectionibus conicis as a notation for unbounded quantities. He never explained why he picked this particular shape. The two leading theories: a variant of the Roman numeral CIↃ for 1,000 (sometimes used by extension to mean "a great many"), or a stylised lowercase Greek omega ω, the last letter of the alphabet and a natural metaphor for the end of counting. Jacob Bernoulli later coined the name "lemniscate" in 1693 from the Latin lemniscuslemniscus, a ribbon worn as a prize at ancient festivals.

Fast-forward to Unicode. The plain infinity ∞∞ entered Unicode 1.1 (1993) at codepoint U+221E, classified as a math symbol. Separately, in Unicode 4.1 (2005), Unicode added a different symbol at U+267E called PERMANENT PAPER SIGNPERMANENT PAPER SIGN, a bookbinding mark that looks nearly identical to infinity. The paper sign indicates that a book is printed on acid-free, archival-quality paper designed to last centuries without yellowing. ISO 9706 formalised the symbol in 1994 for library and archival use.

In 2017, Onelia Álvarez and Gonzalo Alonso proposed an infinity emoji. Rather than elevate the math ∞∞ (which would have complicated its existing text rendering), the Unicode Technical Committee repurposed U+267E: renamed it INFINITYINFINITY and gave it emoji presentation semantics in Emoji 11.0 (2018). Overnight, the humble acid-free-paper symbol became the forever emoji. Most people using ♾️ today have no idea they're texting with a bookbinding mark.

1. 1655John Wallis introduces ∞ in `De sectionibus conicis` as notation for unbounded quantities. He never explains his choice of symbol.↗
2. 1693Jacob Bernoulli coins the name "lemniscate" from Latin `lemniscus` (ribbon) while studying the shape as an algebraic curve.↗
3. 1993Unicode 1.1 adds the plain math infinity ∞ at codepoint U+221E, classified as a math symbol.↗
4. 1998Australian sociologist Judy Singer coins the term "neurodiversity" and proposes the infinity symbol to represent infinite neurological variation.↗
5. 2005Unicode 4.1 adds U+267E as `PERMANENT PAPER SIGN` for bookbinding (acid-free paper, ISO 9706). Rainbow infinity publicly debuts at the first Autistic Pride Day.↗
6. 2017Onelia Álvarez and Gonzalo Alonso submit an infinity-emoji proposal to Unicode. The committee reuses U+267E instead of elevating ∞.↗
7. 2018Emoji 11.0 ships ♾️ with emoji presentation. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung all render it in color.↗

• •The ♾️ emoji codepoint (U+267E) was originally named `PERMANENT PAPER SIGN`, a bookbinding mark for acid-free archival paper defined in ISO 9706 (1994). Unicode renamed it INFINITYINFINITY in 2018 when the emoji proposal landed.
• •John Wallis introduced ∞ in 1655 but never explained his choice. The two leading theories: it's a variant of the Roman numeral CIↃ (representing 1,000), or a stylised lowercase Greek omega ω, the letter at the end of the alphabet.
• •The rainbow infinity symbol was proposed by Australian sociologist Judy Singer in 1998 and publicly debuted at the first Autistic Pride Day in 2005. It has largely replaced the puzzle piece as the neurodiversity movement's preferred symbol.
• •The gold infinity variant uses AuAu, the chemical symbol for gold, to echo the first two letters of autism and autistic. It's used alongside the rainbow version, often by people who specifically identify as autistic rather than broadly neurodivergent.
• •The mathematical term "lemniscate" was coined by Jacob Bernoulli in 1693, 38 years after Wallis introduced the symbol. It comes from Latin lemniscuslemniscus, meaning a ribbon worn as a prize at ancient festivals.
• •In livestock branding terminology, ∞ is called a "lazy eight," the figure-eight shape tipped on its side. Ranches in the American West registered lazy-eight brands as early as the 1880s.
• •The infinity emoji was proposed by Onelia Álvarez and Gonzalo Alonso on February 3, 2017. Their proposal document runs 12 pages.
• •∞ exists at codepoint U+221E in the Mathematical Operators block. ♾ exists at U+267E in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. They're two separate characters that share the same shape but live in different neighborhoods of Unicode.
• •Buzz Lightyear's "To infinity and beyond" catchphrase from Toy Story (1995) has been quoted in song lyrics by Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, and is regularly ranked among the most recognisable movie quotes of its era.
• •In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the six Infinity Stones drove the first three phases of the franchise, known collectively as the Infinity Saga. The 2019 release of Avengers: Endgame triggered a measurable spike in ♾️ emoji usage on Twitter.

• •Toy Story (1995): Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase "To infinity and beyond!" made infinity a household word for a generation of kids. Quoted in song lyrics by Beyoncé and Justin Bieber and regularly cited as one of the most recognisable movie quotes of the 1990s.
• •Marvel Infinity Saga (2008-2019): The six Infinity Stones drove the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, culminating in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019). Thanos's infinity gauntlet made the symbol a cultural shorthand for cosmic, reality-shaping power.
• •The Infinity Gauntlet comic (1991): Jim Starlin, George Pérez, and Ron Lim's 1991 Marvel comic introduced the stones to a generation of comics readers and laid the groundwork for the MCU's most lucrative decade.
• •Autistic Pride Day (2005): The rainbow infinity symbol became the neurodiversity movement's preferred symbol after debuting at the first Autistic Pride Day. Self-advocates favored it over the puzzle piece, which many felt implied autistic people were incomplete.

• •Unicode codepoint is U+267E in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. Originally named PERMANENT PAPER SIGNPERMANENT PAPER SIGN (renamed INFINITY in 2018 for Emoji 11.0).
• •The math infinity ∞ is a separate codepoint at U+221E in the Mathematical Operators block. Don't conflate them; they have different text-rendering behavior.
• •CLDR short name is "infinity." Screen readers will read ♾️ as "infinity" or "infinity symbol."
• •Variation selector VS16 (U+FE0F) after U+267E forces emoji presentation. Without it, some fonts may render as text.
• •No skin-tone or gender modifiers apply. One form, one codepoint.
• •On dark backgrounds the thin black stroke can disappear; consider bumping font size or adding a subtle text-shadow for accessibility.

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