interpunct

Etymology

From Latin interpunctus, from inter- (“between, mid-”) + punctus (“point”).

Why this word is great

INTERPUNCT — [Noun] A punctuation mark ⟨·⟩ used to separate words or clauses. From Latin interpunctus, from inter- ("between") + punctus ("point"). Unlike a hyphen (which binds fragments into compounds) or a comma (which orchestrates breath and hierarchy), the interpunct is a minimalist arbiter of clarity. It is the dot that once divided Latin script into legible units, the raised midpoint in Catalan "l·l" distinguishing it from "ll," or the quiet spacer in Japanese romanization—a humble reminder that meaning often depends not on connection, but on the precise distance between things. A dot is never just a dot.

noun

  1. The punctuation mark ⟨·⟩.“As is to be expected in every good inscription of the period, the interpunct is used regularly and systematically throughout to divide words from one another. As is usual, the interpunct is frequently omitted between a monosyllabic preposition and the noun that it governs, thus presumably indicating that the preposition was treated as a proclitic. [...] I feel certain that the interpunct used with”

verb

  1. To place points between clauses, words or some letters.“The three brass jetons (Nos. 5-7) are all of the early anonymous ‘orb/rose’ types minted between 1550 and 1585. They all bear meaningless legends interpuncted with rosettes and dots, signifying the initials of the jeton-master who produced them.”