Definitions for comma
ˈkɒm əcom·ma

Princeton's WordNet(1.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. commanoun

   a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical structure of a sentence

2. comma, comma butterfly, Polygonia commanoun

   anglewing butterfly with a comma-shaped mark on the underside of each hind wing

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. commanoun

   Punctuation mark , (usually indicating a pause between parts of a sentence or between elements in a list).

2. commanoun

   A diacritical mark used below certain letters in Romanian.

3. commanoun

   A European and North American butterfly, Polygonia c-album, of the family Nymphalidae.

4. commanoun

   a small or very small interval between two enharmonic notes tuned in different ways.

5. Etymology: From comma, from κόμμα, from κόπτω

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Commanoun

   Etymology: ϰόμμα.

   1. The point which notes the distinction of clauses, and order of construction in the sentence, marked thus [,].

   Comma’s and points they set exactly right. Alexander Pope.

   2.The ninth part of a tone, or the interval whereby a semitone or a perfect tone exceeds the imperfect tone. It is a term used only in theorical musick, to shew the exact proportions between concords. John Harris

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Commanoun

   a character or point [,] marking the smallest divisions of a sentence, written or printed

2. Commanoun

   a small interval (the difference between a major and minor half step), seldom used except by tuners

3. Etymology: [L. comma part of a sentence, comma, Gr. clause, fr. to cut off. Cf. Capon.]

Freebase(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Comma

   The comma is a punctuation mark, and it appears in several variants in various languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline of the text. Some typefaces render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight but inclined from the vertical, or with the appearance of a small, filled-in number 9. It is used to separate parts of a sentence such as clauses and lists of three or more things. The comma is used in many contexts and languages, mainly for separating things. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comma comes directly from the Greek komma, which means something cut off or a short clause. A comma can also be used as a diacritic when combined with other characters.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Comma

   kom′a, n. (Shak.) a short part of a sentence: in punctuation, the point (,) which marks the smallest division of a sentence: (fig.) a brief interval.—Inverted commas, marks of quotation ("..", '..'). [L.,—Gr. komma, a section of a sentence, from koptein, to cut off.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. comma

   A type of known symbol to accurately define meaning and grammatical structure.

   A comma can create a specific meaning in a sentence according to where it is placed, in various languages

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 17, 2017  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. comma

   The comma symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the comma symbol and its characteristic.

Matched Categories

1. • Nymphalid Butterfly
   • Punctuation Mark

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'comma' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4734

How to pronounce comma?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say comma in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of comma in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of comma in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of comma in a Sentence

1. President Barack Obama:

   There are going to be many months in which people will be able to look at every comma and period and semicolon in this deal, and I feel very confident that when people evaluate the actual deal that is done, that they will see that, in fact, it is the most progressive trade deal in history.

2. Mistinguett:

   A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know.

3. Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart:

   The older I grow, the less important the comma becomes. Let the reader catch his own breath.

4. Wilbur Ross:

   The big topics like that are still a work in progress. And those are very complex issues, particularly rules of origin, so eventually it will come down to every comma, every semicolon, everything before we can figure out if it's something that's workable.

5. Donald Trump:

   Word for word, comma for comma, done by people that do it for a living -- and we had an exact transcript.

Popularity rank by frequency of use