Comma
/ˈkɒm.ə/noun
A punctuation mark used to separate parts of a sentence or items in a list.
Did you know?Comma comes from Greek *kómma*, meaning a “piece cut off,” and the same root gave English words like *campaign*, *decapitate*, and *cascade* through the ancient idea of cutting or striking down.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κόμμα (kómma)
“a piece cut off; a short clause in rhetoric”
Late Latin
Latin
comma
“a clause or segment of a sentence”
Old French
Old French
comme
“a punctuation mark or pause in writing”
14th Century
English
comma
“a mark indicating a pause in reading or writing”
Modern English
English
comma
“the punctuation mark used to separate elements in a sentence or list”
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