dieresis

or di·aer·e·sis

[ dahy-er-uh-sis ]

noun,plural di·er·e·ses [dahy-er-uh-seez]. /daɪˈɛr əˌsiz/.
  1. Linguistics, Phonetics. the separation of two adjacent vowels, dividing one syllable into two.

  2. Phonetics, Orthography. a diacritic (¨) placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate separate pronunciation, as in one spelling of the older forms naïve and coöperate: no longer widely used in English.

  1. Prosody. the division made in a line or verse by coincidence of the end of a foot and the end of a word.

Origin of dieresis

1
1605–15; <Latin diaeresis<Greek diaíresis literally, distinction, division, equivalent to diaire-, stem of diaireîn to divide (di-di-3 + haireîn to take) + -sis-sis

Other words from dieresis

  • di·e·ret·ic [dahy-uh-ret-ik], /ˌdaɪ əˈrɛt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby dieresis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dieresis in a sentence

  • dieresis is unpredictable in both editions; forms such as Phaeton, Ocyrrhe and Dane are common, and have been silently corrected.

    The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Since the ligatures and are used consistently, dieresis can be assumed even when not explicitly indicated.

    The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Since the ligatures and are used consistently, dieresis in oe and ae can be assumed even when not explicitly indicated.

    The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Publius Ovidius Naso
  • dieresis is unpredictable; forms such as Alcathe and Pirithus are common, and have been silently corrected.

    The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Publius Ovidius Naso

British Dictionary definitions for dieresis

dieresis

/ (daɪˈɛrɪsɪs) /


nounplural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
  1. a variant spelling of diaeresis

Derived forms of dieresis

  • dieretic (ˌdaɪəˈrɛtɪk), adjective

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