Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To provide (a text) with punctuation marks.
  • intransitive verb To occur or interrupt periodically.
  • intransitive verb To stress or emphasize.
  • intransitive verb To use punctuation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In entomology, same as punctured.
  • In writing and printing, to mark with points in some significant manner; specifically, to divide into sentences and parts of sentences by the conventional signs called points or marks of punctuation: as, to punctuate one's letters carefully. See punctuation.
  • Figuratively, to emphasize by some significant or forcible action; enforce the important parts or points of in some special manner: as, to punctuate one's remarks by gestures.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To mark with points; to separate into sentences, clauses, etc., by points or stops which mark the proper pauses in expressing the meaning.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb to add punctuation to
  • verb to add or to interrupt at regular intervals
  • verb to emphasize, to stress

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb interrupt periodically
  • verb insert punctuation marks into
  • verb to stress, single out as important

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Medieval Latin pūnctuāre, pūnctuāt-, from Latin pūnctum, point, from neuter past participle of pungere, to prick; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Medieval Latin punctuare ("to mark with points"), from Latin punctus, perfect passive participle of pungō ("I prick, punch"); see point, and compare punch and punctate.

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