guillemet
English edit
Etymology edit
From French guillemet, diminutive form of the name Guillaume (“William”), named after French typecutter Guillaume Le Bé (1525–1598) who supposedly invented the marks.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
guillemet (plural guillemets)
- Either of the punctuation marks « or », used in several languages to indicate passages of speech. Similar to typical quotation marks used in the English language, such as " (and formerly also “ and ”).
- 2021, Claire Cock-Starkey, Hyphens & Hashtags, Bodleian Library, page 49:
- Guillemets, however, proved popular and remain the key method of indicating quotations in French, Arabic, Italian, Greek and many other languages.
Synonyms edit
- angle quote
- chevron (typography)
- duckfoot quote
- double angle quotation mark (Unicode name)
Translations edit
either of the punctuation marks « or »
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References edit
- ^ Microsoft Character design standards, Latin 1: Punctuation Design Standards (§ Pointing quotation marks – Guillemets)
- ^ “guillemet”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ^ “guillemet”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Diminutive form of the name Guillaume (“William”), named after French typecutter Guillaume Le Bé (1525–1598), 1677.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
guillemet m (plural guillemets)
Usage notes edit
In French typography a space is put after the opening guillemet and before the closing one. This rule is followed in France and most of the time in Canadian usage but not necessarily elsewhere and not necessarily on the internet, even on French websites; in Switzerland no space is required in punctuation.
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- “guillemet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.