what is macron
A macron (/ËmÃ¦krÉn, ËmeÉª-/) is a diacritical mark, a straight bar (Â¯) placed above a letter, usually a vowel. Its name derives from the Greek Î¼Î±ÎºÏÏÎ½ (makrÃ³n), meaning long, and was originally used to mark long or heavy syllables in Greco-Roman metrics. It now more often marks a long vowel. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the macron is used to indicate a mid-tone; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular colon â¨Ëâ©. The opposite is the breve â¨Ëâ©, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.