Dictionary

dicolon en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δίκωλον (díkōlon, adjective, literally “two-limbed”) (sc. e.g. μέτρον (métron)). Equivalent to di- + colon. Piecewise doublet of bicolon.

Meanings

1. A verse or period consisting of two cola or members.
2. The symbol ⟨:⟩, a colon with two dots.
   • By the end of the I century BCE dramatic papyri show systematic signalling of changes of speaker with a combined system of dicolon accompanied by paragraphos in the margin, and some authorities would trace the graphic marking of changes of speaker back to the autograph copies of an Aristophanes or Euripides. The most recent editor of Plato's Ion shows that the oldest Platonic Mss have exactly the same system of dicolon accompanied by paragraphos, and he argues that this notation system goes back to Plato himself. 2011, Denis Feeney, “Hic finis fandi: On the Absence of Punctuation for the Endings (and Beginnings) of Speeches in Latin Poetic Texts”, in Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici, number 66, page 55 of 45–91:
   • The bottom and top edges of the first and second pages have disintegrated. Consequently only the dicolon at the end of v. 49 of the next line(s) (indicating that Smikrines is the speaker) and the last three letters of 52 (εγω) at the top of page 2 can clearly be read. 1971, D. B. Lombard, “New Values in traditional forms - a study in Menander's 'Aspis'”, in Acta Classica, volume 14, page 126 of 123–145:
   • In some readings (often involving interchanges of singulars and plurals), the textis closer to the Masoretic Text than to the Septuagint. Some of these readings are unique, but others have affinities with Lucianic texts or the versions of Theodotion, Symmachus, Aquila and the Quinta in Origen's Hexapla. Further unique readings involve issues of word choice (C col. iii 20), tense and aspect (C col. iii 22), the choice of prepositions (C col. iii 16) and the 'double augment' of δύναμαι (D 17). The line-division sometimes reflects the ends of stichs and the end of a stich mid-line is marked with a dicolon. 2013, Patrick James, “[Review of] The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Volume LXXVI. (Graeco-Roman Memoirs 97) by D. Colomo and J. Chapa: The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Volume LXXVII. (Graeco-Roman Memoirs 98) ) Pp. xii + 213, pls. London: The Egypt Exploration Society, 2011. Cased, £85. ISBN: 978-0-85698-203-3. Benaissa (A.) (ed., trans.) The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Volume LXXVII. (Graeco-Roman Memoirs 98.) Pp. xii+163, pls. London: The Egypt Exploration Society, 2011. Cased, £85. ISBN: 978-0-85698-204-0. doi:10.1017/S0009840X130003”, in The Classical Review, volume 63, number 2, page 387 of 385–389:

Forms

Coordinates

paragraphos · tricolon

Deriveds

dicolic