juncture

From Latin iūnctūra.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒʌŋk.tʃə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒʌŋk.tʃɚ/, /ˈdʒʌŋk.ʃɚ/

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juncture (plural junctures)

1. A place where things join, a junction.
2. A critical moment in time.

   We're at a crucial juncture in our relationship.

   • Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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

jūnctūre

1. vocative masculine singular of jūnctūrus