noun
- a diacritical mark (^) placed over a vowel to indicate pronunciation or stress
adjective
- bending or curving around
Usage: medical; anatomical
Examples
- The French word ‘être’ has a circumflex over the ‘e’.
- Students learning French must pay attention to circumflex accents.
- The circumflex mark changes the pronunciation of the vowel.
- In anatomy, the circumflex artery curves around the heart.
- The circumflex nerve wraps around the shoulder joint.
- Many languages use the circumflex as a diacritical mark.