the punctuation mark (;) used to indicate a major division in a sentence where a more distinct separation is felt between clauses or items on a list than is indicated by a comma, as between the two clauses of a compound sentence.
Those whose books were not so good would throw a hissy fit if you pointed out a misused semicolon.
By their commas ye shall know them, and by their usage of the semicolon and the subordinate clause.
In the rare case when the use of the phrase cannot be avoided, it should be preceded by a semicolon.
The semicolon links two closely related thoughts and emphasizes that relationship.
Do not use a semicolon after a question mark or exclamation point.
The two independent clauses, that follow the first sentence of each paragraph, are separated by a semicolon.
The dash, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point go within quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only.
Note the required semicolon separating the two transformation values.
British Dictionary definitions for semicolon
semicolon
/ˌsɛmɪˈkəʊlən/
noun
1.
the punctuation mark (;) used to indicate a pause intermediate in value or length between that of a comma and that of a full stop
Word Origin and History for semicolon
n.
punctuation-mark, 1640s, a hybrid coined from Latin-derived semi- + Greek-based colon (n.1). The mark itself was in Greek the point of interrogation.
semicolon in Culture
semicolon definition
A punctuation mark (;) used to join two independent clauses in a sentence. The semicolon shows that the ideas in the two clauses are related: “Jack really didn't mind being left without a car; he had the house to himself.”