dieresis

or di·aer·e·sis

[ dahy-er-uh-sis ]
/ daɪˈɛr ə sɪs /

noun, plural di·er·e·ses [dahy-er-uh-seez] /daɪˈɛr əˌsiz/.

the separation of two adjacent vowels, dividing one syllable into two.
a sign (¨) 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.

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

Words nearby dieresis

dienbienphu, diencephalon, diene, dientamoeba fragilis, dieppe, dieresis, dieretic, dies, dies committee, dies irae, dies non

Example sentences from the Web for dieresis

  • Dieresis is unpredictable; forms such as Alcathe and Pirithus are common, and have been silently corrected.

    The Metamorphoses of Ovid |Publius Ovidius Naso

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for dieresis

dieresis
/ (daɪˈɛrɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

a variant spelling of diaeresis

Derived forms of dieresis

dieretic (ˌdaɪəˈrɛtɪk), adjective

Medical definitions for dieresis

dieresis
[ dī-ĕr′ĭ-sĭs ]

n.

solution of continuity