semikolon

Semikolon is a punctuation mark used to link closely related independent clauses and to separate items in a list where the items themselves contain internal commas. It appears as a single character: semicolon (;).

Origin and history: The semicolon was introduced in the late 15th century by the Italian printer Aldus Manutius, around 1499, as a mark of punctuation to indicate a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period. Since then it has been used across many European languages, with varying frequency and rules.

Usage and rules: In English, semicolons connect independent clauses that are closely related when a coordinating conjunction is not used, and they may also separate items in a complex list where items themselves contain commas. In German, Semikolon is used less often than in English and typically marks a stronger pause between related main clauses or to divide long lists; some style guides prefer placing a comma with conjunctions instead. Across languages, the semicolon helps clarify structure and reduce ambiguity in complex sentences and lists.

Other notes: In computing, the semicolon is used to terminate statements in many programming languages, such as C, Java, and JavaScript. In typography, it is encoded as a standard character and its spacing rules vary by language and style. The semicolon remains an important, though sometimes understated, tool for signaling pauses and relationships within sentences.