paragraphos is a horizontal line drawn near the first letter of a line of text. This mark usually indicates a break in the text, e.g. a new sentence, a change of speaker in a dramatic text, or a new poem in a collection of poetry.

Paragraphos (para - beside, graphos - written) literally meant in ancient Greek papyri anything that was written beside the main text, e.g. marginal note or sign to mark the close or beginning of a sentence. There are many variants of this symbol. The Greek paragraphos is usually placed at the beginning of the line but it may refer to a break in the text at any point in the line.