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punctum

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punctum¹

Where it comes from

From Latin pūnctum. Doublet of point, pointe, ponto, puncto, punt, and punto.

noun punctums · puncta

  1. A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point or other small area. Thus, from what has been stated, we see that neither the white puncta nor the minute white branchwork of lines were ever tubular.
  2. A neume representing a single tone.

punctum²

Where it comes from

Coined in 1980 by French literary theorist Roland Barthes in his book Camera Lucida.

noun punctums · puncta

  1. A detail in a photograph that captures the viewer's attention and evokes an emotional response or personal connection beyond the intended subject. […]the punctum is something that is seen by the viewer, without it being shown to them by the photographer. As such, it functions, according to Fried, as an “ontological guarantee” (553) of a given photograph’s nontheatricality.

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MLA

"punctum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/punctum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

punctum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/punctum

Chicago

"punctum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/punctum.

BibTeX
@misc{punctum_2026,
  title = {punctum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/punctum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}