Macron (diacritic)

Uncommon card · No. 136333

A macron ( MAK-ron, MAY-) is a diacritical mark: it is a straight bar ¯ placed above a letter, usually a vowel. Its name derives from the Ancient Greek word μακρόν (makrón), meaning 'long', because it was originally used to mark long or heavy syllables in Greco-Roman metrics. It now more often marks a long vowel. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the macron is used to indicate a mid-tone; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular colon ⟨ː⟩. The opposite is the breve ⟨˘⟩, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.

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