Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

obelus

/ˈɑbələs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.27 in modern English

Syllables
obe-lus
IPA
/ˈɑbələs/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant; an obelisk.

noun

A dagger symbol (†), which is used in printed matter as a reference mark to refer the reader to a footnote, marginal note, etc.; beside a person's name to indicate that the person is deceased; or beside a date to indicate that it is a person's death date; an obelisk.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English obelus, obelo, from Old English obelus, from Late Latin obelus (“critical mark”), from Koine Greek ὀβελός (obelós, “critical mark”), Ancient Greek ὀβελός (obelós, “rod, spit; obelisk; critical mark”). The further etymology is uncertain; a derivation from βέλος (bélos, “arrow, dart, missile”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce; to reach; to throw; to hit by throwing”)) has been suggested, but the initial vowel remains unexplained. Compare obelisk. The plural form obeli is derived from Late Latin obeli, from Ancient Greek ὀβελοί (obeloí).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *gʷelH-, obelus, ὀβελός, obeli, ὀβελοί

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɑbələs/
  • British English: /ˈɒbɪləs/

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

How do you pronounce obelus?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɑbələs/.
What does obelus mean?
A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant; an obelisk.
Where does obelus come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce obelus

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “obelus”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɑbələs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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