Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

punctum

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.68 in modern English

Syllables: punc-tum
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point or other small area.

noun

A neume representing a single tone.

noun

A detail in a photograph that captures the viewer's attention and evokes an emotional response or personal connection beyond the intended subject.

Example Sentences

"Thus, from what has been stated, we see that neither the white puncta nor the minute white branchwork of lines were ever tubular."
"[…]the punctum is something that is seen by the viewer, without it being shown to them by the photographer. As such, it functions, according to Fried, as an “ontological guarantee” (553) of a given photograph’s nontheatricality."
"Barthes describes the punctum (the nonconnotative or denotative meaning) of the photograph (or movie still) in such a manner; the detail relevant or not relevant to the image's overall meaning becomes the focus of an otherwise forgettable picture […]"

Etymology

From Latin pūnctum. Doublet of point, pointe, ponto, puncto, punt, and punto.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: pūnctum

Inflected Forms

punctums (plural) puncta (plural)

Phrases

lacrimal punctum punctum caecum punctum delens punctum proximum punctum remotum punctum saliens punctum stans punctum vasculosum

Frequently Paired Words

punctal

Questions

What does punctum mean?: A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point or other small area.
Where does punctum come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce punctum

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