virgule

[ vur-gyool ]
/ ˈvɜr gyul /

noun

a short oblique stroke (/) between two words indicating that whichever is appropriate may be chosen to complete the sense of the text in which they occur: The defendant and his/her attorney must appear in court.
a dividing line, as in dates, fractions, a run-in passage of poetry to show verse division, etc.: 3/21/27; “Sweetest love, I do not go/For weariness of thee.” (John Donne)
a short oblique stroke (/) used in computing; a forward slash.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called diagonal, separatrix, shilling mark, slant, slash, solidus; especially British stroke.

Origin of virgule

1830–40; < French virgule comma, little rod < Latin virgula; see virgulate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH virgule

backslash forward slash virgule

Words nearby virgule

virgo, virgo cluster, virgo intacta, virgoan, virgulate, virgule, viricide, virid, viridescent, viridian, viridity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for virgule

British Dictionary definitions for virgule

virgule
/ (ˈvɜːɡjuːl) /

noun

printing another name for solidus

Word Origin for virgule

C19: from French: comma, from Latin virgula a little rod, from virga rod
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