diacritic

[ dahy-uh-krit-ik ]
/ ˌdaɪ əˈkrɪt ɪk /

noun

Also called diacritical mark. a mark, point, or sign added or attached to a letter or character to distinguish it from another of similar form, to give it a particular phonetic value, to indicate stress, etc., as a cedilla, tilde, circumflex, or macron.

adjective

Origin of diacritic

1670–80; < Greek diakritikós distinctive, equivalent to dia- dia- + kritikós; see critic

Example sentences from the Web for diacritic

British Dictionary definitions for diacritic

diacritic
/ (ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪk) /

noun

Also called: diacritical mark a sign placed above or below a character or letter to indicate that it has a different phonetic value, is stressed, or for some other reason

adjective

another word for diacritical

Word Origin for diacritic

C17: from Greek diakritikos serving to distinguish, from diakrinein, from dia- + krinein to separate

Medical definitions for diacritic

diacritic
[ dī′ə-krĭtĭk ]

adj.

Diagnostic or distinctive.