noun A diacritic used in most writing systems of the Indian subcontinent to signify the lack of an inherent vowel.
a Devanagari example: क (ka) + ् = क् (k)
noun A sign which serves the same purpose in any writing system.
noun A character which binds consonants into a conjunct or some other form of visual combination which is prototypically a visual indication that the first consonant does not have an implicit vowel