diacritic

noun

di·​a·​crit·​ic ˌdī-ə-ˈkri-tik How to pronounce diacritic (audio)
: a mark near or through an orthographic or phonetic character or combination of characters indicating a phonetic value different from that given the unmarked or otherwise marked element
diacritic table

Examples of diacritic in a Sentence

Two diacritics appear in the word “déjà vu.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The algorithm stumbled over the symbols that had a dot placed underneath or on the side, and the team used contextual analysis to deal with these diacritics. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2023 The floral patterns at the bottom of the logo as well as the football at the top both reference Qatari culture, while the dots either side of the football are actually Arabic diacritics. SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diacritic was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near diacritic

Cite this Entry

“Diacritic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diacritic. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

diacritic

noun
di·​a·​crit·​ic ˌdī-ə-ˈkrit-ik How to pronounce diacritic (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on diacritic

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!