halant

See also: hâlant and ्

English edit

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virama

Alternative forms edit

halanta

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Hindi हलंत (halant). The computing sense arises from the diacritic sense through the use in w:ISCII of the same computer character to act, depending on context and font capabilities, as either a visual diacritic or as a control character modifying a pair of consonants.

Noun edit

halant (plural halants)

A diacritic used in most writing systems of the Indian subcontinent to signify the lack of an inherent vowel.
a Devanagari example: क (ka) + ् = क् (k)
A sign which serves the same purpose in any writing system.
(computing) A character which binds consonants into a conjunct or some other form of visual combination which is prototypically a visual indication that the first consonant does not have an implicit vowel