circumflex

Everyday

1. (language) A small mark like a little roof (^) written over a vowel in some languages, for example French «â, ê, î, ô, û» as in «forêt» or «hôpital». tree →
2. (science, rare) Bending around something, used for some nerves and blood vessels. tree →

In the lessons

In French lessons the circumflex often shows that an «s» used to follow the vowel: «forêt» (forest), «hôpital» (hospital), «île» (isle). In English it appears only in borrowed words like «crème brûlée» or «rôle» (old spelling). It tells the reader about a little hat-shaped accent. Phrases: «circumflex accent».

Examples

• In French, "forêt" has a circumflex on the e. tree →
• The circumflex looks like a tiny roof over the letter. tree →
• "Hôpital" has a circumflex where English has an s in "hospital". tree →
• We learned three French accents: acute, grave and circumflex. tree →
• On a keyboard you can type a circumflex with the ^ key. tree →
• The circumflex in "crème brûlée" sits on the u. tree →

Note

Countable: circumflexes. Say «SUR-kum-flex». In maths and computing the ^ symbol on its own (called a caret) can mean «to the power of»: 2^3 = 8. English words normally do not use accents.