This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
diesis
[ dahy-uh-sis ]
/ ˈdaɪ ə sɪs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural di·e·ses [dahy-uh-seez]. /ˈdaɪ əˌsiz/. Printing.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of diesis
Words nearby diesis
dieseling, dieselize, diesel oil, diesinker, Dies Irae, diesis, dies non, die stamping, diester, diestock, diestrus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use diesis in a sentence
A diesis is a quarter tone; hence in a semitone there are included two dieses.
Ten Books on Architecture|VitruviusThe ratio which expresses the value of the diesis is that of 128 to 125.
Piano Tuning|J. Cree Fischer
British Dictionary definitions for diesis
diesis
/ (ˈdaɪɪsɪs) /
noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
printing another name for double dagger
music
- (in ancient Greek theory) any interval smaller than a whole tone, esp a semitone in the Pythagorean scale
- (in modern theory) the discrepancy of pitch in just intonation between an octave and either a succession of four ascending minor thirds (great diesis), or a succession of three ascending major thirds (minor diesis)
Word Origin for diesis
C16: via Latin from Greek: a quarter tone, literally: a sending through, from diienai; the double dagger was originally used in musical notation
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