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colon1

Syllabification: (co·lon)

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Definition of colon

noun

a punctuation mark (:) indicating.
that a writer is introducing a quotation or a list of items.
that a writer is separating two clauses of which the second expands or illustrates the first.
a statement of proportion between two numbers:a ratio of 10:1
the separation of hours from minutes (and minutes from seconds) in a statement of time given in numbers:4:30 p.m.
the number of the chapter and verse respectively in biblical references:Exodus 3:2

Origin:

mid 16th century (as a term in rhetoric denoting a section of a complex sentence, or a pause before it): via Latin from Greek kōlon 'limb, clause'

Grammar

A punctuation mark with three main uses: to introduce a list:There are two other varieties of cedarwood oil: Texas (Juniperus ashei) and Virginian (Juniperus virginiana). to introduce a piece of direct speech, or a quotation:At once he said: “I do not mean your immediate brief journey.” to separate two parts of a sentence where the first leads on to the second:And that is the end of the poor man’s hopes: there is no return to eligibility. See also commas, colons, and semicolons.

colon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of colon in the British & World English dictionary

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