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) + = क (k)
A sign which serves the same purpose in any writing system.
(computing) 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
Source: en.wiktionary.orgHalant The halant () character is not used when writing Punjabi in Gurmukhī. Source: Internet