di·er·e·sis
or di·aer·e·sis (dī-ĕr′ĭ-sĭs)n. pl. di·er·e·ses (-sēz′) or
di·aer·e·ses 1. Linguistics a. A mark ( ¨ ) placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that they are to be pronounced as separate sounds rather than a diphthong, as in naïve.
b. A mark ( ¨ ) placed over a vowel, such as the final vowel in Brontë, to indicate that the vowel is not silent.
2. A break or pause in a line of verse that occurs when the end of a word and the end of a metrical foot coincide.
[Late Latin diaeresis, from Greek diairesis, from diairein, to divide : dia-, apart; see dia- + hairein, to take.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
dieresis
(daɪˈɛrɪsɪs) n,
pl -ses (
-ˌsiːz)
1. (Phonetics & Phonology) a variant spelling of
diaeresis dieretic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
di•er•e•sis
or di•aer•e•sis
(daɪˈɛr ə sɪs)
n., pl. -ses (-ˌsiz) 1. a sign (¨) placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that it is to be pronounced separately, as in the spellings naïve and coöperate.
2. the division made in a line or verse by coincidence of the end of a foot and the end of a word.
[1605–15; < Latin
diaeresis < Greek
diaíresis literally, distinction, division =
diaire-, s. of
diaireîn to divide (
di- di-
3 +
haireîn to take) +
-sis -sis]
di`e•ret′ic (-əˈrɛt ɪk) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
dieresis
A punctuation mark (¨) placed over a vowel to show that it is pronounced (as in Brontë) or is pronounced separately (as in naïve).
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited