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diacritic

[ dahy-uh-krit-ik ]
/ ˌdaɪ əˈkrɪt ɪk /
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noun
Also called diacritical mark . a mark, point, or sign added or attached to a letter or character to distinguish it from another of similar form, to give it a particular phonetic value, to indicate stress, etc., as a cedilla, tilde, circumflex, or macron.
adjective
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Origin of diacritic

First recorded in 1670–80; from Greek diakritikós “able to distinguish, distinguishing,” equivalent to dia- dia- + kritikós; see critic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diacritic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for diacritic

diacritic
/ (ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪk) /

noun
Also called: diacritical mark a sign placed above or below a character or letter to indicate that it has a different phonetic value, is stressed, or for some other reason
adjective
another word for diacritical

Word Origin for diacritic

C17: from Greek diakritikos serving to distinguish, from diakrinein, from dia- + krinein to separate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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