êxemplo

êxemplo is a historical spelling of the Portuguese noun meaning "example." In modern Portuguese, the standard form is exemp lo? Wait—correct standard is exemplo; êxemplo is not used in contemporary orthography. The term êxemplo appears in older texts and discussions of historical spelling as an archaic variant that represents the same meaning.

Etymology and history: êxemplo derives from Latin exemplum, passed into Portuguese through medieval and early modern orthographic practices. Throughout that period, varying diacritic patterns were used to indicate pronunciation or to reflect changes in spelling conventions. With later orthographic reforms, particularly in the 20th century, exemp lo standard became the accepted form, and the circumflex version fell out of regular use.

Usage and status: today, êxemplo is considered obsolete or primarily of philological interest. It may be encountered in linguistic analyses, historical corpora, or discussions of orthography and language change. In standard contemporary texts, readers will see exemplo as the correct spelling for the word meaning "example." Dictionaries that document historical spellings may list êxemplo as a variant.

See also: exemplo, exemplum, exemplar, orthographic reform.

Note: The information above focuses on the historical and linguistic context of the variant êxemplo in Portuguese. For contemporary usage, the recommended spelling is exemplo.