Macron

A macron (/ˈmækrɒn, ˈmeɪ-/) is a diacritical mark, a straight bar (¯) placed above a letter, usually a vowel. Its name derives from the Greek μακρόν (makrón), meaning "long", and was originally used to mark long or heavy syllables in Greco-Roman metrics. It now more often marks a long vowel. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the macron is used to indicate a mid-tone; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular colon ⟨ː⟩. The opposite is the breve ⟨˘⟩, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.

Macron

A macron (/ˈmækrɒn, ˈmeɪ-/) is a diacritical mark, a straight bar (¯) placed above a letter, usually a vowel. Its name derives from the Greek μακρόν (makrón), meaning "long", and was originally used to mark long or heavy syllables in Greco-Roman metrics. It now more often marks a long vowel. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the macron is used to indicate a mid-tone; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular colon ⟨ː⟩. The opposite is the breve ⟨˘⟩, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.