diaeresis

[ dahy-er-uh-sis ]

noun

, plural di·aer·e·ses [dahy-, er, -, uh, -seez].

1. dieresis.

diaeresis

/ daɪˈɛrɪsɪs; ˌdaɪəˈrɛtɪk /

noun

1. the mark ¨, in writing placed over the second of two adjacent vowels to indicate that it is to be pronounced separately rather than forming a diphthong with the first, as in some spellings of coöperate , naïve , etc
2. this mark used for any other purpose, such as to indicate that a special pronunciation is appropriate to a particular vowel Compare umlaut
3. a pause in a line of verse occurring when the end of a foot coincides with the end of a word

Derived Forms

• diaeretic, adjective

Other Words From

• di·ae·ret·ic [dahy-, uh, -, ret, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diaeresis¹

C17: from Latin diarēsis , from Greek diairesis a division, from diairein , from dia- + hairein to take; compare heresy

Example Sentences

She understands that “The New Yorker’s identity is partly defined by its deliberately conservative diaeresis on words like ‘coöperate.’

From The New Yorker

If you find these difficult to read, The New Yorker has a solution: next year, consider the diaeresis.

From The New Yorker

I could jettison the diaeresis, impose my own logic on the hyphen, and defy Webster’s by, say, making two words out of “hardworking.”

From The New Yorker

I wouldn’t wish an episode of diaeresis on anyone, but you asked for it.

From The New Yorker

While theatre will never be theater, and numbers will always take up too much space in letters instead of digits, Norris reveals that the famed diaeresis—often confused for an umlaut—almost went extinct in 1978.

From Slate