virgule
<character> Rare, and ambiguous: slash or comma.
"Virgule" (or rather, Latin "virgula", meaning "little rod" or, vividly enough,
"little penis") was the name of a punctuation character shaped like a small
slash and used in the Latin writing system much like a modern comma -- hence the
ambiguity of this term in modern English.
Compare French "virgule" and Italian "virgola", meaning "comma" (not "slash");
Italian "doppia virgola" and "virgoletta", both meaning "double quote".
(1997-04-08)
Nearby terms:
Vinton Cerf « Viola « virgin « virgule »
Viron » virtual » virtual 86 mode
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