A Zirkel is a symbol used in European Studentenverbindung

Studentenverbindung

A Studentenverbindung is a student corporation in a German-speaking country somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of...

en.

Look and Meaning

A Zirkel consists of interwined lines, mostly followed by an exclamation mark. The lines mostly show the first letters of the name of the
Studentenverbindung and / or the letters v,c,f or e,f,v.

Examples:
Meaning of v-c-f:

• Vivant fratres coniuncti ("the conjunct brothers should live") or
• Vivat circulus fratrum ("the circle of brothers should live") or
• Vivat, crescat, floreat ("live, grow, flourish").

Meaning of e-f-v:

• Ehre, Freiheit, Vaterland ("Honour, Liberty, Fatherland").

The meaning of the exclamation mark is not quite cleared.

Using

The members of the Studentenverbindung use the Zirkel as sign on Couleur

Couleur

Couleur is the expression used in European Studentenverbindungen for the headgears and ribbons worn by members of these student societies....

or other things e.g. beer glasses etc. If a member signs
in affairs of its Studentenverbindung it places the Zirkel after its signature. This use is similar to the use of postnominals in
Anglo-Saxon countries.

Examples:

Further reading

• Peter Krause: O alte Burschenherrlichkeit - Die Studenten und ihr Brauchtum, Graz, Wien, Köln 1979 (German), ISBN 3-222-11127-8
• Peter Krause: O alte Burschenherrlichkeit - Die Studenten und ihr Brauchtum, 5. verb. Auflage, Graz, Wien, Köln 1997 (German), ISBN 3-222-12478-7
• Edgar Hunger / Curt Meyer: Studentisches Brauchtum, Bonn, Stuttgart 1958 (German)