Punktum

Punktum is a term with multiple uses, stemming from the Latin punctum, meaning point, dot, or mark. In Latin and in many scholarly discussions, punctum serves as a general label for a point-like mark in writing or manuscripts. The spelling punktum appears mainly in non-English contexts or as a transliteration variant and is less common in standard English-language references. In modern typography and punctuation, more precise terms such as punctuation, period, or dot are typically used, with punctum serving primarily a historical or philological function.

In photography theory, the closely related term punctum (often spelled with a c) is central to Roland Barthes’s analytical framework. In his 1980 book Camera Lucida, Barthes distinguishes between studium and punctum. The studium denotes the general, culturally coded reading of an image—the photographer’s intent, social context, and shared knowledge. The punctum, by contrast, is a personal, emotionally striking detail that pierces the viewer and draws attention in a way that is not planned or universal. It is subjective and fleeting, capable of triggering memory, desire, or pain.

Other uses of the root include philological or linguistic discussions about punctuation marks in historical texts, where punctum refers to a point or mark within manuscripts or editions. The term’s practical application varies by language and scholarly tradition, but in contemporary English discourse it is most often encountered as a reference to Barthes’s concept or as a Latin-derived term describing a point-like mark rather than a common punctuation label.