What does "punctum" mean?

A sharp tip of any part of the anatomy; a point or other small area.

What is a synonym for "punctum"?

Common synonyms include: aspect, detail, dot, element, feature, hole.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

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 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."
3
(anatomy) a point or small area wordnet
4
A neume representing a single tone.

"Thus, from what has been stated, we see that neither the white puncta nor the minute white branchwork of lines were ever tubular."

Etymology 1

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

Etymology 2

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