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mater lectionis

noun
ma·​ter lec·​ti·​o·​nis | \ ¦mätə(r)ˌlektēˈōnə̇s\
plural matres lectionis\ ˈmä‧ˌtrāˌsl-​ \

Definition of mater lectionis

: the alphabetic signs א (\ʔ\), ה (\h\), ו (\w\), and י (\y\) in Hebrew which assist in indicating the vocalization in an originally consonantal writing system

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History and Etymology for mater lectionis

New Latin, literally, mother of reading; from its function of enabling a person reading aloud to give an accurate rendition of a written word

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