semicolon

sem·i·col·on
S1E1M3I1C3O1L1O1N1
UK/ˌsɛmiˈkəʊlən/UK/-ˈkəʊlɒn/UK/ˈsɛmiˌkəʊlən/UK/-ˌkəʊlɒn/

noun

The punctuation mark ";", which is used to separate two sentences, the latter of which qualifies the former; to separate a series of related clauses or sentences; to separate items in a list where the items themselves include commas; etc.

OriginEnglish colon ← Latin cōlon ← Ancient Greek κῶλον (kôlon) →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounsemicolon (plural semicolons or (uncommon) semicola)

plural semicolons · plural uncommon semicola · alternative dated semi-colon

  1. communicationsThe punctuation mark ";", which is used to separate two sentences, the latter of which qualifies the former; to separate a series of related clauses or sentences; to separate items in a list where the items themselves include commas; etc.

    The use of the semicolon has remained contentious and subject to fashion.

    2021, Claire Cock-Starkey, Hyphens & Hashtags: The Stories behind the Symbols on Our Keyboards, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Bodleian Library, →ISBN, page 28
    5 more examples

    A Semicolon is a diſtinction of an imperfect Sentence, vvherein vvith ſomevvhat a longer Breath, the Sentence follovving is included; and is noted thus (;).

    a. 1638 (date written), Ben Jonson, “The English Grammar. […]. [Chap[ter] IX. Of the Distinction of Sentences.]”, in The Works of Beniamin Jonson, […] (Third Folio), London: […] Thomas Hodgkin, for H[enry] Herringman, E. Brewster, T. Bassett, R[ichard] Chiswell, M. Wotton, G. Conyers, published 1692, →OCLC, 2nd booke, page 690, column 2

    Stops, or pauſes, conſidered as intervals in reading, are no more than four; though there are other marks to be taken notice of, but to other purpoſes. The names of the four ſtops are a comma, ſemicolon, colon, and period or full-ſtop; and theſe do bear to one another a kind of progreſſional proportion of time; for the comma ſignifies a ſtop of leiſurely telling one, the ſemicolon tvvo, the colon three, and the period four.—They are made or marked thus; […] Semicolon (;) a point over the comma.

    1771, George Fisher, “Of Stops, Marks, and Points, Used in Reading and Writing; with Their Places and Significations”, in The Instructor; or, Young Man’s Best Companion. Containing Spelling, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, in an Easier Way than Any yet Published. […], 23rd edition, Edinburgh: […] Gavin Alston, […], →OCLC, page 22

    [page 25] The semi-colon appears in two forms: the first is this; if one member contains a word or words, which lead the reader to expect another member, and another member, having a word or words of reference to the former does immediately follow, the latter member is a semi-colon. The second form is, when one member is followed by another, and the latter means nothing or effects nothing, without calling in aid the preceding member, then the latter member is a semi-colon. […] [page 28] Periods, colons, and semi-colons, having been debated at great length, what is a colon or semi-colon will be summed up in a general description:—a colon or semi-colon is the more which cometh after, used only to illustrate what goeth immediately before; the more which cometh after and that which goeth before forming a period.

    1842, F[rancis] Francillon, “Section the Third”, in An Essay on Punctuation with Incidental Remarks on Composition, London: Whittaker and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 25 and 28

    Thus, in MT [the Masoretic Text] we read, "With the loyal you are loyal, / with the faultless warrior (gibbôr tammîm) you are faultless." LXX [the Septuagint] preserves the primitive reading, except that the equivalent of MT's second semicolon has been inserted recensionally between the first and second semicola.

    1984, P[eter] Kyle McCarter, Jr., “XXXVII. A Psalm of David (22:1–51) [Textual Notes]”, in II Samuel: A New Translation with Introduction, Notes and Commentary (The Anchor Bible; 9), Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, →ISBN, verse 26, page 458

    I strongly discourage this third one, as you may easily forget to correctly escape further semicola or specific other meta-characters added later[]on during maintenance.

    2010 April 9, Andreas Leitgeb, “Problem with ; character with eval command”, in comp.lang.tcl (Usenet)

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sēmi
  3. Latinsēmi-
  4. Englishsemi-
  5. Ancient Greekκῶλον (kôlon)
  6. Latincōlon
  7. Englishcolon
  8. Englishsemicolon

From semi- (“half”) + colon, from the fact that the mark is a colon (“:”) with the lower half replaced by a comma (“,”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic فَاصِلَة مَنْقُوطَة, ؛
  • فَاصِلَة مَنْقُوطَة (fāṣila manqūṭa)punctuation mark “;”
  • ؛punctuation mark “;”
Bengali সেমিকোলন
  • সেমিকোলন (śemikōlon)punctuation mark “;”
Bulgarian то́чка и запета́я
  • то́чка и запета́я (tóčka i zapetája)punctuation mark “;”
Catalan punt i coma
  • punt i comapunctuation mark “;”
Chinese Mandarin 分號 /分号, ；
  • 分號 /分号 (fēnhào)punctuation mark “;”
  • ；punctuation mark “;”
Czech středník
  • středníkpunctuation mark “;”
Danish semikolon
  • semikolonpunctuation mark “;”
Dutch kommapunt, puntkomma
  • kommapuntpunctuation mark “;”
  • puntkommapunctuation mark “;”
Esperanto punktokomo
  • punktokomopunctuation mark “;”
Estonian semikoolon
  • semikoolonpunctuation mark “;”
Finnish puolipiste
  • puolipistepunctuation mark “;”
French point-virgule
  • point-virgulepunctuation mark “;”
German Semikolon, Strichpunkt
  • Semikolonpunctuation mark “;”
  • Strichpunktpunctuation mark “;”
Greek άνω τελεία, ερωτηματικό
  • άνω τελεία (áno teleía)punctuation mark “;”
  • ερωτηματικό (erotimatikó)punctuation mark “;”
Hebrew נקודה ופסיק \ נְקֻדָּה וּפְסִיק
  • נקודה ופסיק \ נְקֻדָּה וּפְסִיק (n'kudá uf'sík)punctuation mark “;”
Hindi सेमीकोलन, अर्धविराम
  • सेमीकोलन (semīkolan)punctuation mark “;”
  • अर्धविराम (ardhavirām)punctuation mark “;”
Hungarian pontosvessző
  • pontosvesszőpunctuation mark “;”
Icelandic semikomma, semíkomma
  • semikommapunctuation mark “;”
  • semíkommapunctuation mark “;”
Irish leathstad, leathstadanna
  • leathstadpunctuation mark “;”
  • leathstadannapunctuation mark “;”
Italian punto e virgola
  • punto e virgolapunctuation mark “;”
Japanese セミコロン, ；
  • セミコロン (semikoron)punctuation mark “;”
  • ；punctuation mark “;”
Korean 세미콜론, 쌍반점
  • 세미콜론 (semikollon)punctuation mark “;”
  • 쌍반점 (ssangbanjeom)punctuation mark “;”
Latvian semikols
  • semikolspunctuation mark “;”
Lithuanian kabliataškis
  • kabliataškispunctuation mark “;”
Māori kopipiko
  • kopipikopunctuation mark “;”
Norwegian Bokmål semikolon
  • semikolonpunctuation mark “;”
Persian نقطهویرگول, ؛
  • نقطهویرگول (noqte-virgul)punctuation mark “;”
  • ؛punctuation mark “;”
Polish średnik
  • średnikpunctuation mark “;”
Portuguese ponto e vírgula
  • ponto e vírgulapunctuation mark “;”
Punjabi ਬਿੰਦੀ ਕਾਮਾ
  • ਬਿੰਦੀ ਕਾਮਾ (bindī kāmā)punctuation mark “;”
Romanian punct și virgulă
  • punct și virgulăpunctuation mark “;”
Russian то́чка с запято́й
  • то́чка с запято́й (tóčka s zapjatój)punctuation mark “;”
Scottish Gaelic leth-chòilean
  • leth-chòileanpunctuation mark “;”
Slovak bodkočiarka
  • bodkočiarkapunctuation mark “;”
Spanish punto y coma
  • punto y comapunctuation mark “;”
Swahili alama ya nuktamkato, nukta mkato
  • alama ya nuktamkatopunctuation mark “;”
  • nukta mkatopunctuation mark “;”
Swedish semikolon
  • semikolonpunctuation mark “;”
Tagalog tuldok-kuwit
  • tuldok-kuwitpunctuation mark “;”
Tamil அரைப்புள்ளி
  • அரைப்புள்ளி (araippuḷḷi)punctuation mark “;”
Thai อัฒภาค
  • อัฒภาค (àt-tá-pâak)punctuation mark “;”
Turkish noktalı virgül
  • noktalı virgülpunctuation mark “;”
Ukrainian кра́пка з ко́мою, сере́дник
  • кра́пка з ко́мою (krápka z kómoju)punctuation mark “;”
  • сере́дник (serédnyk)punctuation mark “;”
Urdu ؛
  • ؛punctuation mark “;”
Vietnamese dấu chấm phẩy
  • dấu chấm phẩypunctuation mark “;”
Welsh gwahannod, hanner colon
  • gwahannodpunctuation mark “;”
  • hanner colonpunctuation mark “;”
Zulu unzoqhwishi class 1a/2a
  • unzoqhwishi class 1a/2apunctuation mark “;”

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with semicolon

colonsoloneidolonstolonmesocolon
All rhymes →

Anagrams

cosmoline
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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