Tricolon

It marks a pause, division, or stop in ancient Greek writing. It could close a sentence or section, separate words from numbers in inscriptions (texts carved or written on an object), or serve as a metrical sign—a mark tied to poetic rhythm.

It belongs to an older Greek family of vertically arranged dot marks. Manuscript evidence places the three-dot tricolon before the two-dot dicolon; the dicolon later became the more common form.

Where is tricolon punctuation used?

Mainly in scholarly editions of historical Greek texts. Editors retain ⁝ when reproducing or discussing a source’s punctuation, including in inscriptions (texts carved or written on objects).

Ordinary modern prose normally uses familiar punctuation instead.