diesis
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di·e·sis
(dī′ĭ-sĭs)n. pl. di·e·ses (-sēz′)
See double dagger.
[Medieval Latin, semitone (which was indicated by a double dagger), from Latin, quarter tone, from Greek, a letting through, from diīenai, to send through : dia-, dia- + hīenai, to send; see yē- in Indo-European roots.]
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.
diesis
(ˈdaɪɪsɪs)n, pl -ses (-ˌsiːz)
1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing another name for double dagger
2. (Music, other) music
a. (in ancient Greek theory) any interval smaller than a whole tone, esp a semitone in the Pythagorean scale
b. (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)
[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 and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
dou′ble dag′ger
n.
a mark (‡) used for references, as for footnotes.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | diesis - a character used in printing to indicate a cross reference or footnote grapheme, graphic symbol, character - a written symbol that is used to represent speech; "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters" |
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