juncture

Inherited from Middle English juncture, from Latin iūnctūra. Doublet of jointure.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒʌŋk.tʃə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒʌŋk.t͡ʃɚ/, /ˈd͡ʒʌŋk.ʃɚ/

• Audio (US)

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juncture (plural junctures)

1. A place where things join, a junction.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:junction

2. A critical moment in time.

   We're at a crucial juncture in our relationship.

   • 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:

     What a mercy you are shod with velvet, Jane! a clodhopping messenger would never do at this juncture.

   • 1962 October, G. Freeman Allen, “The New Look in Scotland's Northern Division—II”, in Modern Railways, page 170:

     The object is to keep the yard operators apprised of main-line movements, so that they do not plan to occupy the main lines with activity into or out of the yard at an inopportune juncture.

3. (linguistics) The manner of moving (transition) or mode of relationship between two consecutive sounds; a suprasegmental phonemic cue, by which a listener can distinguish between two otherwise identical sequences of sounds that have different meanings.

• In highly formal or bureaucratic language, at this juncture is often used to mean now:

I'm unable to ascertain its whereabouts at this juncture.

• conjuncture

jūnctūre

1. vocative masculine singular of jūnctūrus