eroteme

E1R1O1T1E1M3E1

noun

A question mark.

Scrabble 9

Meanings

nouneroteme (plural erotemes)

plural erotemes

  1. 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 240
    2 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

  1. Ancient Greekἐρώτημα
  2. Englisheroteme

From Ancient Greek ἐρώτημα (erṓtēma).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

eroteme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme

MLA

“eroteme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eroteme,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eroteme.

Source: eroteme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.