The likely origin of the section sign is the digraph formed by the combination of two S glyphs (from the Latin signum sectiōnis). When duplicated, as §§, it is read as the plural "sections" (e.g. "§§ 13–21"), much as "pp." (pages) is the plural of "p.".

It is frequently used along with the pilcrow or paragraph sign to reference a specific paragraph within a section of a document. While § is usually spoken as section, European countries may read it as paragraph. When duplicated, as §§, it is read as the plural "sections" (e.g. "§§ 13–21"), much as "pp." (pages) is the plural of "p."