comma

UK /ˈkɔmə/ US /ˈkɔmə/
noun 5verb 1

Definitions

noun

1

The punctuation mark ⟨,⟩ used to indicate a set of parts of a sentence or between elements of a list.

No points were used by the ancient printers, excepting the colon and the period; but, after some time, a short oblique stroke, called a virgil, was introduced, which answered to the modern comma. In the fifteenth century this punctuation was improved by the famous Aldus Manutius with the typographical art in general; when he gave a better shape to the comma, added the semicolon, and assigned to the former points more proper places.

2

A similar-looking subscript diacritical mark.

3

Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Polygonia, having a comma-shaped white mark on the underwings, especially Polygonia c-album and Polygonia c-aureum of North Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Commas (Polygonia comma) and Question Marks (Polygonia interrogationis) occur from the Gulf Coast to Canada and west to the Rockies. [...] Question Marks and Commas are handsome butterflies with burnt orange and black markings. [...] On the underside of each hind wing of the Comma is a small, distinctive silver hook that resembles a comma.

Other members of this genus that are frequently encountered in the park are the eastern comma (P. comma) and question mark (P. interrogationis).

4

A difference in the calculation of nearly identical intervals by different ways.

5

A delimiting marker between items in a genetic sequence.

verb

1

To place a comma or commas within text; to follow, precede, or surround a portion of text with commas.

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