punctuation

American  

[puhngk-choo-ey-shuhn] / ˌpʌŋk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses.

2. the act of punctuating.

3. punctuation marks.

4. Biology. the sudden or accelerated extinction of some species and emergence of others, occurring only in isolated periods, as set forth in the theory of punctuated equilibrium.

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punctuation British  

/ ˌpʌŋktjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the use of symbols not belonging to the alphabet of a writing system to indicate aspects of the intonation and meaning not otherwise conveyed in the written language

2. the symbols used for this purpose

3. the act or an instance of punctuating

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Other Word Forms

• nonpunctuation noun
• punctuational adjective
• punctuative adjective
• repunctuation noun

Etymology

Origin of punctuation

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin pūnctuātiōn- (stem of pūnctuātiō ) “a marking, pointing”; punctuate, -ion

Example Sentences

It did look like something I’d write to someone I’m close to, complete with a lack of punctuation and a self-deprecating LOL.

From The Wall Street Journal

For Elizabeth McCracken, writing a novel requires attention to matters as small as punctuation and as capacious as the imagined world her characters inhabit.

From The Wall Street Journal

“A Long Game” provides a ranking of punctuation from weakest to strongest.

From The Wall Street Journal

The review refers to the "so-called 'rules-based international order'", putting the latter phrase in inverted commas: a kind of delegitimisation by punctuation mark.

From BBC

He does put some value in the occasional rogue punctuation mark.

From The Wall Street Journal