caret
caret Lexical Profile
caret Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The freestanding circumflex character (^) on a computer keyboard, commonly used in mathematics and programming to denote exponentiation, control keys, or string matching.
"In many spreadsheet formulas, you type a caret between two numbers to raise the base to an exponent."
An inverted V-shaped proofreading mark (‸) placed below a line of text to indicate where an omitted letter, word, or phrase should be inserted.
"The copyeditor drew a small caret between the two words to show where the missing comma belonged."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with its homophonens 'carat' (a unit of weight for gemstones), 'karat' (a measure of gold purity), and 'carrot' (the orange root vegetable).
• Rhymes for caret
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 17th century directly from the third-person singular present tense of the Latin verb 'carēre' (to lack or be without), literally meaning 'it is lacking' or 'there is missing'.