Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of joining or the condition of being joined.
  • noun A place where two things are joined; a junction or joint.
  • noun A point in time, especially one requiring a decision to be made.
  • noun The transition or mode of transition from one sound to another in speech.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In geometry, either the instantaneous union of a collection of objects which are just moving in coincidence of place, thereafter to be for some lapse of time one object, or the instantaneous loss of one or more dimensions by the gradual shrinkage of a body, this smaller dimensionality lasting through a period of time.
  • noun A joining; junction.
  • noun The line or point at which two bodies are joined; a joint or articulation; a seam.
  • noun A point of time; particularly, a time rendered critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances; a conjuncture.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete A joining; a union; an alliance.
  • noun The line or point at which two bodies are joined; a joint; an articulation; a seam.
  • noun A point of time; esp., one made critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances; hence, a crisis; an exigency.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a place where things join, a junction
  • noun a critical moment in time

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made
  • noun the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
  • noun an event that occurs at a critical time

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin iūnctūra, from iūnctus, past participle of iungere, to join; see yeug- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin iūnctūra.

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Examples

  • [Warburton explained this as "the critical juncture"] How the _critical juncture_ is the _spy o 'the time_ I know not, but I think my own conjecture right.

    Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • Hale Encyclopaedia Britannica Robert A. Fowkes New York University Juncture: Where It Sat Many linguists have, with or without a surgeon's license, operated in the past with the term juncture; at present such linguists appear to have a dim future.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol VI No 2 1979

  • Anyone who thinks that removing Mr. Cameron at this juncture is the answer to the present drop in the polls and the sudden outbreak of critical coverage is, I believe, wrong.

    Archive 2007-07-29 2007

  • Anyone who thinks that removing Mr. Cameron at this juncture is the answer to the present drop in the polls and the sudden outbreak of critical coverage is, I believe, wrong.

    What now for Cameroonism? 2007

  • One concern I should mention at this juncture is the need for recognition that there are certain hazards associated with getting involved in unfamiliar business or financial territory.

    International Financial Markets after the U.S. Elections 1984

  • If the juncture is as I have drawn it, it brings Gibeon, Nob, and Mizpah all down too close to Jerusalem on the

    The Romance of Isabel, Lady Burton William Henry Burton Wilkins 1897

  • Last week's wild action in the stock market has put the market at a critical short term juncture so I also wanted to update my current analysis of the market internals.

    Forbes.com: News Tom Aspray 2011

  • Dropping out of the discussion at this juncture is simply unacceptable.

    Michael Wotorson: Voting for Education and a Stronger Democracy Michael Wotorson 2010

  • This time the snare of participial juncture is smoothly mutual and binding, rather than viscous and thickening — as in

    Phonemanography: Romantic to Victorian 2008

  • I reserve the right to change my mind, but Miers 'biggest sin, at this early juncture, is her allegiance to Bush.

    10/03/2005 2005

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