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dieresis

or di·aer·e·sis

[ dahy-er-uh-sis ]
/ daɪˈɛr ə sɪs /
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noun, plural di·er·e·ses [dahy-er-uh-seez]. /daɪˈɛr əˌsiz/.
Linguistics, Phonetics. the separation of two adjacent vowels, dividing one syllable into two.
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.
Prosody. the division made in a line or verse by coincidence of the end of a foot and the end of a word.
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Origin of dieresis

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
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

Medical definitions for dieresis

dieresis
[ dī-ĕrĭ-sĭs ]

n.
solution of continuity
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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