Punctation
/pʌŋkˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
The act or practice of marking or dividing text with punctuation marks.
Did you know?Punctation is built from the same Latin root as *puncture* and *punctual*—a root meaning a sharp point, as if writing itself was once a form of piercing the page.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peuk-
“to prick, punch, pierce”
Latin
Latin
pungere
“to prick, stab, pierce”
Latin
Latin
punctum
“a point; a prick; a small spot”
Late Latin
Latin
punctatio
“a marking with points; punctuation”
Middle English
English
punctacioun
“the act of marking with points; punctuation”
Modern English
English
punctation
“the act or practice of punctuating text”
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