Lozenge (shape)

The definition of lozenge is not strictly fixed, and the word is sometimes used simply as a synonym (from Old French losenge) for rhombus.

[2] The lozenge shape is often used in parquetry (with acute angles that are 360°/n with n being an integer higher than 4, because they can be used to form a set of tiles of the same shape and size, reusable to cover the plane in various geometric patterns as the result of a tiling process called tessellation in mathematics) and as decoration on ceramics, silverware and textiles.

The lozenge motif dates from the Neolithic and Paleolithic period in Eastern Europe and represents a sown field and female fertility.

[5] Common Berber jewelry from the Aurès Mountains or Kabylie in Algeria also uses this pattern as a female fertility sign.

In 1658, the English philosopher Sir Thomas Browne published The Garden of Cyrus, subtitled The Quincunciall Lozenge, or Network Plantations of the Ancients, in which he outlined the mystical interconnection of art, nature and the universe via the quincunx pattern.

In a similar fashion, the square lozenge (⌑), part of the BCDIC character set, was often used on tabulation listings to indicate second level totals in banking installations in the 1960s.

The repeating patterns often used irregular four-, five- and six-sided polygons, but some contained regular rhombi or hexagons.

In the Finnish military, the lozenge symbol is used in the insignia of conscripts undergoing officer training to signify their rank and progress.

This progression marks their nearing completion of officer training, with the lozenge serving as a clear visual indicator of their status.

The lozenge (technically a mascle) can be used on public roadways in the United States and Canada to mark a specific lane for a particular use.

[12] Starting in August 2023 on a four-years trial in France, a white lozenge on blue background reserves lanes to car-sharing vehicles (at least one passenger besides the driver).

In Japan and South Korea, a lozenge marked in white paint on the road indicates an upcoming uncontrolled pedestrian crossing.

Similarly, in New Zealand a lozenge marked in white paint on the road may be placed to indicate an upcoming pedestrian crossing.

It is used in travel agencies, where it appears on the specialist keyboards used with booking terminals, where it has the familiar name, the pillow symbol.

Other related unicode characters include: In IBM 026 punched card code the pillow-shaped square "lozenge" ⌑ is (12-8-4).