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Glite Dictionary
✒️ A punctuation mark 🕊️ A symbol of hope
semicolon

semicolon

1 4.2
A symbol showing support for people who had thoughts of suicide
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛmɪˌkoʊlən/
  • Neologism
translation icon : punto y coma
  • He received a semicolon as a reminder that his story is still being written, representing hope amidst darkness.

Examples

  • We chose one gesture to represent a semicolon, one to represent a comma, and one to represent a period.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The semicolon tattoo on her wrist symbolizes her journey through mental health struggles and her commitment to survival.

  • Wearing a semicolon necklace, she proudly conveys her solidarity with those who have fought against suicidal thoughts.

Surface Forms

semicolon singular
semicolons plural

Morphology

semicolon = colon (opaque) = semi + colon

Although the tattoo/logo sense refers to the semicolon mark, its association with mental-health awareness is a conventional cultural symbol rather than a meaning directly built from the parts.

Etymology

Semicolon is also used as a mental-health symbol because a movement used the punctuation to show a sentence that the writer 'could have ended' but 'chose to continue'. So, like the punctuation's pause, the symbol stands for continuing, survival and support.