diaeresis
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Alternative spellings
[edit] Etymology
From Ancient Greek διαίρεσις (“‘division, split’”), from διά (dia), “‘apart’”) + αἱρέω (aireō), “‘I take’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
|
Singular |
Plural |
diaeresis (plural diaereses)
- (orthography) A diacritic placed over a vowel letter indicating that it is sounded separately, usually forming a distinct syllable, as in naïve, Noël, Brontë.
- (linguistics) The separation of a vowel, often a diphthong, into two distinct syllables.
- (prosody) A natural break in rhythm when a word ends at the end of a metrical foot, in a line of verse.
[edit] Usage notes
- The umlaut is a usually identical diacritic which alters the sound of a single vowel (as in German Schön). Properly speaking, the terms diaeresis and umlaut are not interchangeable, though speakers frequently use the term umlaut to refer to a diaeresis.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
diaeresis
