punctuate
[puhngk-choo-eyt]
- to mark or divide (something written) with punctuation marks in order to make the meaning clear.
- to interrupt at intervals: Cheers punctuated the mayor's speech.
- to give emphasis or force to; emphasize; underline.
- to insert or use marks of punctuation.
Origin of punctuate
1625–35; < Medieval Latin pūnctuātus (past participle of pūnctuāre to point), derivative of Latin pūnctus a pricking; see punctual
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for punctuate
Contemporary Examples
At each point, the audience was eager to punctuate his rhetoric with cheers and applause.
These manic episodes, however, only punctuate a life that is most fundamentally pathetic.
He even went so far as to punctuate the scoop with an exclamation point!
How the Drudge Report, With Its Condoleezza Rice ‘Scoop,’ Again Rules the MediaLauren Ashburn
July 15, 2012
Historical Examples
Hattie began rocking, in a rapid staccato, to punctuate her speech.
Tiverton TalesAlice Brown
In such cases the compositor should punctuate as he goes along.
PunctuationFrederick W. Hamilton
There we punctuate the full stop to our inquiries; we have the secret.
The Amazing Marriage, CompleteGeorge Meredith
He banged the table with his riding-crop to punctuate the emphasis.
The Ghost BreakerCharles Goddard
When a writer does not know how to punctuate his own language at any point he uses a dash.
Why We PunctuateWilliam Livingston Klein
punctuate
- (also intr) to insert punctuation marks into (a written text)
- to interrupt or insert at frequent intervalsa meeting punctuated by heckling
- to give emphasis to
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin punctuāre to prick, from Latin punctum a prick, from pungere to puncture
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for punctuate
v.
1630s, "to point out," from Medieval Latin punctuatus, past participle of punctuare, from Latin punctus (see point (n.)). Meaning in reference to text, "to have pauses or stops indicated," is from 1818, probably a back-formation from punctuation. Hence, "interrupted at intervals" (1833). Related: Punctuated; punctuating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper