virgule

American  

[vur-gyool] / ˈvɜr gyul /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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)

3. a short oblique stroke (/) used in computing; a forward slash.

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virgule British  

/ ˈvɜːɡjuːl /

noun

1. printing another name for solidus

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Etymology

Origin of virgule

First recorded in 1830–40; from French virgule “comma, little rod,” from Latin virgula; virgulate

Example Sentences

“The comma doesn’t seem to come from the diple but from the virgule, the slash,” Houston said.

From Washington Post

They lowered the virgule and curved it, for a start, so that it began to look like the modern comma.

From Literature

It was impracticable to reproduce the original punctuation, which mainly consisted of the virgule or slash.

From Project Gutenberg