Meanings
plural erotemes
- rareA question mark.
On the typewriter keyboard, just below the question mark (the eroteme, note of interrogation, or uncertainty sign), there appears a short, slanting stroke […]
1965, Dmitri A. Borgmann, Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities, Scribner, page 2402 more examples
1858, Goold Brown, The Grammar of English Grammars, fourth edition, Samuel S. and William Wood, page 798, The value of the eroteme as a sign of pause, is stated very differently by different grammarians.... J.S. Hart avers, that, "A question is reckoned as equal to a complete sentence, and the mark of interrogation as equal to a period."
The note of interrogation or eroteme is used at the end of a sentence to designate (1) a single question or (2) more, and (3) is sometimes written in parentheses to express a doubt or challenge the accuracy of a statement.
1913, Frank H. Vizetelly, The Preparation of Manuscripts for the Printer, 5th revised edition, Funk & Wagnalls Company, page 50
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐρώτημα
- Englisheroteme
From Ancient Greek ἐρώτημα (erṓtēma).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
eroteme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme
“eroteme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eroteme,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme.
Source: eroteme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.