dieresis: Meaning and Definition of

di•er•e•sis

Pronunciation: (dī-er'u-sis), [key]
— pl. -ses
  1. the separation of two adjacent vowels, dividing one syllable into two.
  2. 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.
  3. the division made in a line or verse by coincidence of the end of a foot and the end of a word.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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