Virgula comes from Latin 'virgula' ('little rod, twig'), diminutive of 'virga' ('rod, shoot, stick'). Used in early punctuation for an oblique slash mark. In current use it is a noun meaning "a small rod or slanting mark, such as an early form of comma". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. A diminutive element is part of the history, marking a smaller or derived form. The historical chain includes Latin virgula and Latin virga. Related English forms include virgule and verge. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.