Semicolon
/ˈsɛm.iˌkoʊ.lɒn/noun
A punctuation mark indicating a pause stronger than a comma but weaker than a period.
Did you know?The name comes from Greek and Latin roots meaning “half” + “colon,” and the colon itself originally meant a “limb” or “clause,” so punctuation was once imagined as parts of a body of speech.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kōlon
“A clause, member of a sentence, or literally a limb/body part”
Late Latin
Latin
colon
“A clause or segment of a sentence; later the punctuation mark”
16th Century
Latin
semicolon
“A mark used in writing to indicate a pause between a comma and a colon”
Early Modern English
English
semicolon
“The punctuation mark used between closely related independent clauses”
Modern English
English
semicolon
“The standard punctuation mark separating closely linked clauses or items in complex lists”