comma

comma
/kom"euh/, n.
1. the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, esp. when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list, to mark off thousands in numerals, to separate types or levels of information in bibliographic and other data, and, in Europe, as a decimal point.
2. Class. Pros.
a. a fragment or smaller section of a colon.
b. the part of dactylic hexameter beginning or ending with the caesura.
c. the caesura itself.
3. Music. the minute, virtually unheard difference in pitch between two enharmonic tones, as G# and Ab.
4. any of several nymphalid butterflies, as Polygonia comma, having a comma-shaped silver mark on the underside of each hind wing.
[1520-30; < LL: mark of punctuation, L: division of a phrase < Gk kómma piece cut off (referring to the phrase so marked), equiv. to kop- (base of kóptein to strike, chop) + -ma n. suffix denoting result of action (with assimilation of p)]

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▪ music
      in music, slight difference in frequency (and therefore pitch) occurring when a note of a scale, say E in the scale of C, is derived according to different systems of tuning (tuning and temperament). There are two commonly cited commas, the Pythagorean comma and the comma of Didymus, or syntonic comma.

      In Pythagorean tuning, the intervals of the scale are derived from natural fifths (the interval that occurs between the second and third tones of the harmonic series). When natural fifths are constructed in sequence, as from C to G to D. . . , a circle back to C (=B♯) occurs: . . . A♯, E♯, B♯. This B♯, however, instead of being exactly in tune with C, is slightly higher, by 0.24 of a semitone. This difference, which is audible, is the Pythagorean comma.

      Just intonation derives all intervals from natural fifths and natural thirds (the interval between the fourth and fifth tones of the harmonic series). A natural third is slightly lower than the third derived by Pythagorean tuning, which is disagreeable to Western ears. The difference is the comma of Didymus, or syntonic comma, and equals 0.22 of a semitone.

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  • comma — comma …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • comma — [ kɔ(m)ma ] n. m. • 1552; mot lat., gr. komma « membre de phrase », de koptein « couper » ♦ Mus. Intervalle musical, non appréciable pour l oreille, qui sépare deux notes enharmoniques (do dièse et ré bémol, mi dièse et fa). ⊗ HOM. Coma. ● comma… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • comma — There is much variation in the use of the comma in print and in everyday writing. Essentially, its role is to give detail to the structure of sentences, especially longer ones, and to make their meaning clear by marking off words that either do… …   Modern English usage

  • Comma — Com ma, n. [L. comma part of a sentence, comma, Gr. ? clause, fr. ? to cut off. Cf. {Capon}.] 1. A character or point [,] marking the smallest divisions of a sentence, written or printed. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mus.) A small interval (the difference… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Comma — Beschreibung Literatur Zeitschrift Sprache deutsch Erstausgabe April 2002 Einstellung Jan …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • comma — COMMA. s. m. Terme de Musique. Différence du ton majeur au ton mineur.Comma, en terme d Imprimerie, signifie aussi Une espèce de ponctuation qui se marque avec deux points l un sur l autre …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • comma — / kɔm:a/ s.m. [dal lat. comma ătis, gr. kómma, propr. pezzetto, frammento ] (pl. i ). (giur.) [ognuno degli accapo di un articolo di legge] ▶◀ alinea, capoverso, paragrafo …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • comma — 1520s as a Latin word, nativized by 1590s, from L. comma short phrase, from Gk. komma clause in a sentence, lit. piece which is cut off, from koptein to cut off, from PIE root *kop to beat, strike (see HATCHET (Cf. hatchet)). Like COLON (Cf.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • comma — ► NOUN 1) a punctuation mark (,) indicating a pause between parts of a sentence or separating items in a list. 2) a butterfly with orange and brown wings and a white comma shaped mark on the underside of the hindwing. ORIGIN Greek komma piece cut …   English terms dictionary

  • comma — [käm′ə] n. [L < Gr komma, clause in a sentence, that which is cut off < koptein, to cut off < IE base * (s)kep , to cut, split > CAPON, SHAFT] 1. a mark of punctuation (,) used to indicate a slight separation of sentence elements, as… …   English World dictionary

  • Comma — For other uses, see Comma (disambiguation). , Comma Punctuation apostrophe …   Wikipedia

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