obelus

noun

obe·​lus ˈä-bə-ləs 

 also  ˈō-

plural obeli ˈä-bə-ˌlī 

-ˌlē,

 also  ˈō-

1

: a symbol − or ÷ used in ancient manuscripts to mark a questionable passage

2

: the symbol ÷

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Late Latin, borrowed from Greek obelós, odelós (Doric) "spit, four-sided pointed pillar, obol, line in a manuscript marking a passage as spurious," perhaps of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: The b/d variation has led to the assumption of an original labiovelar *g^w, though d would be expected in Attic-Ionic rather than the normally occurring b; obelós has hence been explained as a borrowing from an Aeolic dialect. In the sense "obol" (a weight and coin valued at 1/6 of a drachma) obelós has a variant obolós; the medial o is an alleged instance of vowel assimilation. The need for special explanations to account for the idiosyncrasies in these forms has led to the hypothesis that the etymon was a loanword from a pre-Greek language.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1