Full Stop or Period
A full stop ( . ) (British, New Zealand and Australian English) or period (American English and Canadian English)[1] is the punctuation mark commonly placed at the end of sentences. In the 21st century, it is sometimes called a dot.[2] In conversation, as opposed to linguistics, the term is often used to mean "the end of the matter." (For example, "We are calling a full stop to discussions on this subject.")
History
The full stop symbol derives from Aristophanes of Byzantium who invented the system of punctuation where the height of placement of a dot on the line determined its meaning. The high dot (.) was called a "periodos" and indicated a finished thought or sentence, the middle dot (·) was called a "kolon" and indicated part of a complete thought, while the low dot (.) was called a "komma" and also indicated part of a complete thought.[3]