virgula

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈvɜrɡjələ/ UK /ˈvɜːɡjʊlə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a small rod or slanting mark, such as an early form of comma

Medieval scribes used a virgula to mark a brief pause in the text.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small rod or slanting... stroke slash mark

Word family

Related forms virguleverge

Etymology

From Latin 'virgula' ('little rod, twig'), diminutive of 'virga' ('rod, shoot, stick'). Used in early punctuation for an oblique slash mark.

virgula Latin virga Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# virgula

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈvɜrɡjələ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈvɜːɡjʊlə/

## Meanings
1. a small rod or slanting mark, such as an early form of comma

## Examples
- Medieval scribes used a virgula to mark a brief pause in the text.

## Synonyms
- stroke
- slash
- mark

## Related Forms
- virgule
- verge

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: virgula
- Root: virga

## Etymology
From Latin 'virgula' ('little rod, twig'), diminutive of 'virga' ('rod, shoot, stick'). Used in early punctuation for an oblique slash mark.

## AI Etymology
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.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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