>>...
>>>>was supposed to be circumflex - ^
>>>>>
>>>>>We call it a caret
>>>>
>>>>No, it's circumflex. < or > are left- and right-caret, surely.
>>>
>>>Check Webster's. We call it a 'caret'. We normally refer to > as the "greater than" sign, and < as the "less than" sign, but yes, I know ^ can also be referred to as a 'circumflex'. Here it's just waaaaaay more common to call it a 'caret'. I suppose it also depends on the use. A circumflex is used to clarify pronunciation or accent, or whatever. A caret is used to show an insert.
>>
>>Well, as you seemed so sure I eventually did check and got:
>>
>>"a wedge-shaped mark made on written or printed matter to indicate the place where something is to be inserted"
>>
>>How that is intrerpreted as being "an up-pointing arrow that goes on top of a letter to denote a different pronunciation, or where, say, in French, the "e" was formerly followed by an "s" (e.g. fenêtre cf fenestre)" I don't know.
>
>I think you just lost me. Clearly, you looked up 'caret'. Did you look up 'circumflex'?

Yes and it doesn't seem to include it as a thing, rather as a description of "bending round". In my French at school I learned it to be the "up arrow".
"Fenêtre" comes from the Latin "Fenestra". In many cases old French words, like "Fenestre" had the "s" removed and, to show that the "e" is still pronounced, it had a circumflex put over it.

e.g. Forêt (forest)

>
>>
>>Trust me, a caret is "greater than" or "less than" symbol. But as long as the "we" in your office are all on the same page about the meaning I suppose no harm's done :-)
>
>I trust you, and if it were just my office, I'd happily accept your definition, but believe me, it's hardly just my office.
>
>Editors constantly use ^ to insert words or letters into documents, and they call it a 'caret'. I don't recall seeing < or > used the same way, but I suppose they could be - to insert lines maybe?

True, publshers do use the symbol for insertion (as manual mark), with a line going from the point to the place in the doc where the accompanying text is to be placed.


Oh... whatever! :-)