The Question Mark

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Question mark

Also called the "interrogation mark,"c is, in English, the punctuation mark placed after a sentence to indicate a question. In Spanish an inverted question mark is placed at the beginning of an inquisitive sentence as well. There is much speculation as to the origin of the question mark, but most attribute its invention to Alcuin of York, leading scholar and teacher in the court of Charlemagne. In the 8th century, Alcuin indicated questions in his writing with a mark like "a lightning flash, striking from left to right," according to language writer Lynne Truss.