plás

Plús is the Icelandic term for the mathematical plus sign and the operation of addition. It is used in arithmetic to denote adding numbers, and in spoken language the expression "a plús b" means "a plus b." The symbol "+" is read as "plús" in Icelandic; for example, "fimm plús þrjú jafngildir átta" means "five plus three equals eight."

Etymology and orthography: The word plús is a loanword from English plus, which ultimately derives from Latin plus. In Icelandic orthography it is spelled with an acute accent on the ú to indicate vowel quality: plús. In compounding, it forms terms like plúsmerki (plus sign). The Icelandic term for minus is mínus.

Usage and context: Plús appears in education, science, media, and everyday arithmetic. The spelling with the accent helps distinguish it visually from the English word "plus" when Icelandic text includes foreign terms. In Icelandic, the counterpart of plús is mínus (minus), used for subtraction and negative values.