This term originally referred to a horn or horn-like projection, and in writing came to mean the small decorative strokes or serifs that distinguished one Hebrew letter from another—the tiny hooks, crowns, or apex marks that could differentiate, for example, a dalet from a resh. Jesus uses this word in both Matthew (5:18) and Luke (16:17) to emphasize the permanence and authority of the Law: not even the smallest stroke of a letter will pass away until all is accomplished. The term emphasizes God's meticulous preservation of Scripture down to its minutest details.