I do not like× as a symbol for multiplication, as it is easily confounded withx;[…] often I simply relate two quantities by an interposed dot and indicate multiplication byZC ·LM. Hence, in designating ratio I use not one point but two points, which I use at the same time for division.
(decimal point): Many Britons employ the American decimal point ⟨.⟩ owing to a general lack of support for the middot character on computers. It remains common in writing done by hand.
(addition compound): The IUPAC Recommendations for Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry[2] state: “Centre dots in formulae of (formal) addition compounds, including hydrates, adducts, clathrates, double salts and double oxides, separate the individual constituents. The dot is written in the centre of the line to distinguish it from a full stop (period).”
middot,middle dot(calledpunt volat(“flown dot”) in Catalan, and found in the combinationl·l to distinguish it from the digraphll. It was once used forelision, especially in poetry.)
Separates the month from the day in events, commemorations, etc. named after dates, only used after January (一 (yī)), November (一一 (yīyī)) and December (一二 (yī'èr)) when hanzi are used.
一·二八事變／一·二八事变 ― yī-èrbā shìbiàn ― January 28 Incident
(neologism, often proscribed)Used in certain forms ofgender-neutralwriting either before or around thefeminine suffix, to avoid both the use of the masculine as the default form and the verbosity of writing out both the masculine and feminine forms.
étudiant·es ―étudiantes et étudiants ―female students and male students
étudiant·e·s ―étudiantes et étudiants ―female students and male students
Another way to write such forms in gender-neutral writing is to give both the masculine and feminine forms connected byet, the form that goes first being determined by alphabetical order.
French-language authorities, such as theAcadémie française, usually strongly proscribe the practice.
· can be uniquely represented by theUnicode characterU+0387GREEK ANO TELEIA.
In many places, including on Wiktionary, U+0387 is automatically converted to· (U+00B7MIDDLE DOT). This is because U+0387 is converted to U+00B7 by allUnicode normalizations.
In some fonts,· (U+0387) is positioned higher than· (U+00B7), similarly to the top point of a colon (:) or semicolon (;).
“Frågelådan [The Question Box]”, inSwedish Institute for Language and Folklore (in Swedish), 25 June 2025 (last accessed): “Kryss kan också användas vid multiplikation och betyder då ’multiplicerat med’, eller mer vardagligt ’gånger’: 5 × 2 = 10. Det normala tecknet för multiplikation i svenska texter är dock en centrerad punkt: 5 · 2 = 10. ―The cross can also be used for multiplication, in which case it means ‘multiplied by’, or more informally ‘times’: 5 × 2 = 10. However, the standard symbol for multiplication in Swedish texts is a centred dot: 5 · 2 = 10.”
