Rare, and ambiguouS: SlaSh or comma. "Virgule" (or rather, Latin "virgula", meaning "little rod" or, vividly enough, "little peniS") waS the name of a punctuation character Shaped like a Small SlaSh and uSed in the Latin writing SyStem much like a modern comma -- hence the ambiguity of thiS term in modern EngliSh. Compare French "virgule" and Italian "virgola", meaning "comma" (not "SlaSh") Italian "doppia virgola" and "virgoletta", both meaning "double quote". (1997-04-08)
