punctus circumflexus en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌpʌŋktəs sɜːkəmˈflɛksəs/ (UK)
- /ˌpʌŋktəs sɚkəmˈflɛksəs/ (US)
Etymology
From Medieval Latin pūnctus circumflexus (literally “bent-around mark”).
Meanings
-
A medieval punctuation mark indicating a short pause (approximately '̣).
[…]MS. Bodley 340, going back to an early form of the text, has confused indications that such was intended: after 'þa' it has a punctus circumflexus[…]
1953, Occasional Papers, volume 3, University of Cambridge, page 10:There was an entirely separate set of marks to coach the raising and lowering of the voice in oral delivery -- including the punctus elevatus, the punctus interrogotivus^([sic]), and the punctus circumflexus.
2004, George D. Gopen, The Sense of Structure: Writing from the Reader's Perspective, Pearson Longman, →ISBN, page 170:The punctus circumflexus does not seem to have been used commonly in manuscripts of other than liturgical texts.
2011 July 22, Tadao Kudouchi, edited by Akio Oizumi and Jacek Fisiak, English Historical Linguistics and Philology in Japan, De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 172:
Relateds
punctus versus · punctus elevatus · punctus · punctus interrogativus