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A crescent cancelling a vowel.
Also known as: Malayalam virama, Moon crescent mark
The Malayalam mark suppressing the inherent vowel, and also marking a reduced vowel of its own.
Suppresses the inherent vowel of the consonant it marks.
Contexts: Language and transcription
Also writes the short reduced vowel called samvruthokaram in modern Malayalam, so one mark means both 'no vowel' and 'this particular weak vowel' — an ambiguity Malayalam orthography has argued about in print.
The dual use is contested in Malayalam orthographic reform debates.
Contexts: Language and transcription
A small crescent set above the letter, opening upward.