virama

noun

vi·​ra·​ma

və̇ˈrämə

plural -s

: a mark added to a consonant sign in Devanagari and related alphabets to indicate that the consonant sign stands only for a consonant and not for a combination of consonant plus following vowel

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit virāma, literally, cessation, stop, from viramati he ceases, pauses, from vi- apart, asunder + ramate he stands still, rests

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