circumflex

[ sur-kuhm-fleks ]

adjective

1. Phonetics, Orthography. consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the diacritic ^, ˘, or ~, placed over a vowel symbol in some languages to show that the vowel or the syllable containing it is pronounced in a certain way, as, in French, that the vowel so marked is of a certain quality and long, in Albanian, that the vowel is nasalized and stressed, or, in Classical Greek, that the syllable bears the word accent and is pronounced, according to the ancient grammarians, with a rise and fall in pitch.
2. Phonetics, Orthography. pronounced with or characterized by the quality, quantity, stress, or pitch indicated by such a mark.
3. bending or winding around.

noun

1. Phonetics, Orthography. a circumflex mark or accent.

verb (used with object)

1. to bend around.

circumflex

/ ˈsɜːkəmˌflɛks /

noun

1. a mark (^) placed over a vowel to show that it is pronounced with rising and falling pitch, as in ancient Greek, as a long vowel rather than a short one, as in French, or with some other different quality

adjective

1. (of certain nerves, arteries, or veins) bending or curving around

Derived Forms

• ˌcircumˈflexion, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of circumflex¹

1555–65; < Latin circumflexus, equivalent to circum- circum- + flexus, past participle of flectere to bend; flex ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of circumflex¹

C16: from Latin circumflexus, from circumflectere to bend around, from circum- + flectere to bend

Example Sentences

It is a plantigrade circumflex vertebrate bacterium that hasnt any wings and is uncertain.

From Project Gutenberg

Plantigrade circumflex vertebrate bacterium that hasnt any wings and is uncertain.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the four instances of the circumflex accent three exhibit the two notes and the falling pitch which we expect.

From Project Gutenberg

The character shown here as eo was printed as eo joined by a single circumflex.

From Project Gutenberg

The land, however, is much better ploughed; straight ridges everywhere adopted in place of the old circumflex of twenty years ago.

From Project Gutenberg