Page "Question mark" Paragraph 4

The symbol is also sometimes thought to originate from the Latin quaestiō ( that is, < span style =" font-variant: small-caps "> qvaestio </ span >), meaning " question ", which was abbreviated during the Middle Ages to qo.

The lowercase q was written above the lowercase o, and this mark was transformed into the modern symbol.

However, evidence of the actual use of the Q-over-o notation in medieval manuscripts is lacking ; if anything, medieval forms of the upper component seem to be evolving towards the q-shape rather than away from it.