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Glite Dictionary
swung dash

swung dash

9.9
A mark used in writing to show that a word or part of a word is left out
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : guion ondulado
  • The editor replaced the repeated word with a swung dash.

Examples

  • The swung dash appears frequently in older reference books.

  • The swung dash appears frequently in older reference books to indicate omissions.

  • In early dictionaries, a swung dash was used to show that a word had been omitted.

  • The author used a swung dash to indicate a pause.

  • Did you see the swung dash in that sentence?

  • In early dictionaries, a swung dash was used to show that a word had been omitted.

  • The editor replaced the repeated word with a swung dash to signify its absence.

Surface Forms

swung dash singular
swung dashes plural

Morphology

swung + dash

The specific typographic meaning 'a punctuation mark indicating omission' is not compositionally derivable from 'swung' and 'dash'—'swung' (past of swing or unattested) gives no cue to omission or punctuation, and 'dash' only signals a general punctuation mark. This is a specialized, lexicalized term for a particular symbol, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would not reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun swung dash may come from old printers who swung a small, wavy line called a dash across the page to show a missing or repeated word. That's why today the mark is used to 'leave out' or 'replace' a word.