virgule

9.1

A punctuation mark that looks like a slash and separates related parts like 1/2 or yes/no

noun
/vɜrˈɡjuːl/

Specialized

: barra

To my eye, this gap, like a virgule, reprises the ambiguity of gender in the image of the adult (he misses the mark) and reflects a demand for a normative either/or binary conception of sex.

Examples

Here is a fairly typical passage with virgules marking the T-unit or compound clause boundaries, with compound verbs in italics, and with 'and' in bold:

Academic text (2005)
The teacher explained that a virgule can also be called a slash, used in writing to separate choices like 'and/or.'
(The virgules are hers.)

Fiction book (1999)
In mathematics, we often use a virgule to denote fractions, such as in 1/2.
You can find a virgule in the expression '3/4' to indicate the division of whole units.

Synonyms

slash

vsvirgule

20 2.5

A mark written as / that shows choices or parts of information

is the common everyday name for the same mark

stroke

vsvirgule

Archaic

11 7.4

A punctuation mark used to separate words or numbers

is more often used for alternatives or fractional values

separator

vsvirgule

3 3.4

A thing that keeps two areas apart, like a curtain or a mark in text

is a specific punctuation symbol used for separating information in text

punctuation mark

vsvirgule

1 1.3

A symbol like a period or comma that separates sentences and shows meaning

is the specific mark that separates alternatives or fractional values

diagonal

vsvirgule

1 6.3

A slanted line mark used to separate words or numbers

is the same mark but an alternative name

delimiter

vsvirgule

Specialized

1 5.9

A character or symbol that separates items in text and data files

is the punctuation mark used in text to separate related items

solidus

vsvirgule

Specialized

9.3

A punctuation mark shaped like a slanted line used to separate words or numbers

is the same mark but a more technical name

separatrix

vsvirgule

Specialized

9.9

A mark like a slash that separates related items, often in math

is used in many contexts beyond math and typography

Surface Forms

virgule singular

virgules plural

Etymology

Virgule comes from the Latin virgula, which means 'little rod' or 'twig', because the slash was seen as a small stroke that separates parts of text. So a virgule is used to divide related items, like choices 'yes/no' or the two numbers in a fraction.