caret

[kar-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caret ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a mark (‸) made in written or printed matter to show the place where something is to be inserted.

Origin of caret

1700–10; < Latin caret (there) is lacking or wanting, 3rd person singular present indicative of carēre to be without

Can be confusedcarat caret carrot karat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for caret

bullet, dagger, ditto, reference, asterisk, punctuation

Examples from the Web for caret

Historical Examples of caret

The last is one of five stanzas, with music "set by Mr. Caret:"
All About Coffee
William H. Ukers
The caret (^) is used to mark the omission of a letter or word or a number of words.
Plain English
Marian Wharton
Caret, Murphy, and the other priests now returned to Tahiti.
The Life and Labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden
There is much private history which will never come to light, caret quia vate sacro, because no Budgeteer comes across it.
A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume II (of II)
Augustus de Morgan
Transcriber's Note: The caret (^) has been used to mark subscript in the text version.
Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3.
Benson J. Lossing

British Dictionary definitions for caret

caret

noun

a symbol (‸) used to indicate the place in written or printed matter at which something is to be inserted

Word Origin for caret

C17: from Latin, literally: there is missing, from carēre to lack

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 caret

"mark in writing to show where something is to be inserted," 1680s, from Latin caret "there is lacking," 3rd person singular indicative of carere "to lack" (see caste).