Dot

(Fr. point; Ger. Punkt; It. punto; Sp. punto; Lat. punctum).

Dots are used in various contexts in Western notation. Above a note, a dot signifies that the note is to be played staccato or (if beneath a slur) portato (see Bow, §II, 2–3); in some keyboard sources of the early 16th century it may however indicate chromatic alteration. Placed to the right of a note, it indicates that the value of that note should be augmented by half (in earlier notation systems, the modification may be different; see Dotted rhythms and Note values). In early mensural notation, a dot may indicate rhythmic division (see Notation, §III, 3, and Punctum). Dots in vertical pairs or groups of four alongside a bar-line or (more commonly) a double bar indicate a passage to be repeated (see Repeat). For tablature dot notations, see Dot-way.

RICHARD RASTALL