Virama

Origin

From Sanskrit विराम (virāma, "to stop")

Full definition of virama

Noun

1. A diacritic used in most writing systems of the Indian subcontinent to signify the lack of an inherent vowel.
• a Devanagari example: क + ् = क्
2. A sign which serves the same purpose in any writing system.

Synonyms

• halant
• killer
• vowel killer