diaeresis
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
[edit] Etymology
From Ancient Greek διαίρεσις (“division, split”), from διά (dia, “apart”) + αἱρέω (aireō, “I take”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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, prosody) 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
diacritic placed over a vowel letter
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