obelus

[ob-uh-luhs]

noun

plural

obeli 

1. a mark (− or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to point out spurious, corrupt, doubtful, or superfluous words or passages.

obelus

/ ˈɒbɪləs /

noun

1. a mark (— or ÷) used in editions of ancient documents to indicate spurious words or passages

2. another name for dagger

Word History and Origins

Origin of obelus¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek obelós spit, pointed pillar

Word History and Origins

Origin of obelus¹

C14: via Late Latin from Greek obelos spit

Example Sentences

It makes of satire a frozen obelus, as dependent upon divisiveness as the president himself.

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The passage is noted by an asterisk or obelus or other mark in Codd.

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It Harklean. represents in the main the text of the later Greek MSS., but it has important textual notes, and has adopted a system of asterisks and obeli from the Hexaplar LXX.

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To obtain a thoroughly correct text, he marked with an obelus the lines he considered spurious; other signs were used by him to indicate notes, varieties of reading, repetitions and interpolations.

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In his peculiar notation, Asides are marked by inverted commas, and obvious stage business is indicated by an obelus.

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