circumflex

American  

[sur-kuhm-fleks] / ˈsɜr kəmˌflɛks /

adjective

1. Phonetics, Orthography. consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the diacritic ^, ˘, or ~, placed over a vowel symbol in some languages to show that the vowel or the syllable containing it is pronounced in a certain way, as, in French, that the vowel so marked is of a certain quality and long, in Albanian, that the vowel is nasalized and stressed, or, in Classical Greek, that the syllable bears the word accent and is pronounced, according to the ancient grammarians, with a rise and fall in pitch.

2. Phonetics, Orthography. pronounced with or characterized by the quality, quantity, stress, or pitch indicated by such a mark.

3. bending or winding around.

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noun

1. Phonetics, Orthography. a circumflex mark or accent.

verb (used with object)

1. to bend around.

circumflex British  

/ ˈsɜːkəmˌflɛks /

noun

1. a mark (^) placed over a vowel to show that it is pronounced with rising and falling pitch, as in ancient Greek, as a long vowel rather than a short one, as in French, or with some other different quality

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adjective

1. (of certain nerves, arteries, or veins) bending or curving around

Other Word Forms

• circumflexion
  noun

Etymology

Origin of circumflex

1555–65; < Latin circumflexus, equivalent to circum- circum- + flexus, past participle of flectere to bend; see flex ¹

Example Sentences

He scheduled an exploratory procedure that showed a major blockage in my circumflex artery and that he resolved by inserting the stent.

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2022

My left circumflex artery was 100 percent blocked.

From Fox News • Aug. 23, 2021

There is even a rap song on the web: "In defence of the circumflex".

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2016

Whatever the fate of France’s circumflex, and for all the recent panic, we can expect the academy’s ruling to have little effect on the vitality of human expression.

From Time • Feb. 17, 2016

A circumflex is a bending around of the voice,—a rise and a fall on the same syllable.

From Orthography As Outlined in the State Course of Study for Illinois by Cavins, Elmer W.