diacritic

[ dahy-uh-krit-ik ]

noun

1. 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

1. diacritical.
2. diagnostic.

diacritic

/ ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪk /

noun

1. Also calleddiacritical 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

1. another word for diacritical

Word History and Origins

Origin of diacritic¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from Greek diakritikós “able to distinguish, distinguishing,” equivalent to dia- dia- + kritikós; critic

Word History and Origins

Origin of diacritic¹

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

Example Sentences

A flat wick should be slightly rounded, the middle being the highest point, like this diacritic , not this one.

From Project Gutenberg

This script, with its diacritic marks, was scientifically evolved at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

From Project Gutenberg

Errors in German phrases and the diacritic of "Lige" were not corrected.

From Project Gutenberg

Please note that the original diacritic mark, believed to be a short up tack, is unable to be represented in html.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• lone
• original
• particular
• personal
• respective
• separate
• single
• singular
• sole
• special
• specific