What does caret mean?

Caret means "cursor" or "insertion point".

In mathematics and computer science, the caret symbol "^" is used to indicate exponentiation or raising to a power. For example, 5^3 means 5 raised to the power of 3, which is 125.

In proofreading and editing, the caret symbol is used to mark the insertion point for changes or additions. For example, if you want to add the word "not" to the sentence "I am happy," you would write "^not" above the word "am". This indicates that you want to insert the word "not" before the word "am".

In computer programming, the caret symbol is used in various contexts depending on the programming language and the specific usage. For example, in C programming, the caret symbol is used to perform bitwise exclusive OR (XOR) operation. In Python, it is used for exponentiation and also as the "exclusive OR" operator in boolean expressions.

In linguistics and phonology, the caret symbol is used to mark stressed syllables in words or to indicate the beginning or end of a pronunciation.

In engineering, the caret symbol is sometimes used to indicate a range or tolerance value. For example, 10^±2 means 10 with a tolerance or variation of ±2.