EDIT Mathematics The amount to the left of the character is equal to or smaller than the amount to the right of the character.

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EDIT Relational operator The character is one of five relational operators in mathematics. They have the function of specifying a comparison between two values. The others are:

U+003C < Less-than Sign
U+003E > Greater-than Sign
U+003D = Equals Sign
U+2265 ≥ Greater-than Or Equal To

 jsw