juncture

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English juncture, from Latin iūnctūra. Doublet of jointure.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒʌŋk.tʃə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒʌŋk.tʃɚ/, /ˈdʒʌŋk.ʃɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

juncture (plural junctures)

1. A place where things join, a junction.
2. A critical moment in time.

   We're at a crucial juncture in our relationship.

   • 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], OCLC 3163777:

     What a mercy you are shod with velvet, Jane! a clodhopping messenger would never do at this juncture.

   • 1962 October, G. Freeman Allen, “The New Look in Scotland's Northern Division—II”, in Modern Railways, page 170:

     The object is to keep the yard operators apprised of main-line movements, so that they do not plan to occupy the main lines with activity into or out of the yard at an inopportune juncture.

3. (linguistics) The manner of moving (transition) or mode of relationship between two consecutive sounds; a suprasegmental phonemic cue, by which a listener can distinguish between two otherwise identical sequences of sounds that have different meanings.

Usage notes

• In highly formal or bureaucratic language, at this juncture is often used to mean now:

I'm unable to ascertain its whereabouts at this juncture.

Translations

junction

• Bulgarian: съединение (bg) n (sǎedinenie), шев (bg) m (šev)
• Catalan: juntura (ca) f
• Dutch: aanhechtingspunt (nl) n, verbinding (nl) f
• Finnish: risteys (fi)
• French: jonction (fr) f
• Georgian: შეერთების წერტილი (šeertebis c̣erṭili), შესართავი (šesartavi), გაერთიანება (gaertianeba), შეერთების ადგილი (šeertebis adgili)

• German: Verbindungspunkt m, Verbindungsstelle f
• Irish: acomhal m
• Italian: congiuntura (it) f
• Portuguese: juntura (pt) f
• Russian: стык (ru) m (styk), соедине́ние (ru) n (sojedinénije), спай (ru) m (spaj), ме́сто соедине́ния n (mésto sojedinénija)
• Spanish: juntura (es) f

critical moment in time

• Bulgarian: критичен момент (kritičen moment)
• Dutch: kantelpunt n
• Finnish: käännekohta (fi)

• Russian: конъюнкту́ра (ru) f (konʺjunktúra), стече́ние обстоя́тельств (ru) n (stečénije obstojátelʹstv), положе́ние дел n (položénije del)

manner of transition between two consecutive sounds

• Finnish: junktuuri
• French: joncture (fr)

• German: Junktur (de)

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Latin

Participle

jūnctūre

1. vocative masculine singular of jūnctūrus