diaeresis
Americannoun
noun
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the mark ¨, in writing placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that it is to be pronounced separately rather than forming a diphthong with the first, as in some spellings of coöperate , naïve , etc
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this mark used for any other purpose, such as to indicate that a special pronunciation is appropriate to a particular vowel Compare umlaut
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a pause in a line of verse occurring when the end of a foot coincides with the end of a word
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of diaeresis
C17: from Latin diarēsis , from Greek diairesis a division, from diairein , from dia- + hairein to take; compare heresy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She understands that “The New Yorker’s identity is partly defined by its deliberately conservative diaeresis on words like ‘coöperate.’
From The New Yorker • Aug. 15, 2019
If you find these difficult to read, The New Yorker has a solution: next year, consider the diaeresis.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 2, 2019
I could jettison the diaeresis, impose my own logic on the hyphen, and defy Webster’s by, say, making two words out of “hardworking.”
From The New Yorker • Jan. 25, 2016
The ending of a word and foot together within the verse is called a diaeresis.
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
On page 20, reentered is spelled with diaeresis over the second "e".
From The Village Watch-Tower by Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
