cauda

Noun

cauda (plural caudae)

1. A diacritical mark with various forms, attached to the e of the e caudata used to indicate an abbreviation of ae or sometimes of oe, sometimes used on another letter when the e is omitted.
   • The cauda of the e-caudata is extended. Ligatures of -st, -rt, -et and -nt are used.2010, Sinéad O'Sullivan, “The Oldest Gloss Tradition on Martianus Capella’s De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii”, in Glossae aeui Carolini in libros I-II De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii, Brepols...
   • Later, around the turn of the 18th century, when Polish antiqua prints had become more usual, the cauda ‘tail’ of <ę> was placed under the back nasal, too, which resulted in modern <ą>.2012, Daniel Bunčić, “The standardization of Polish orthography in the 16th century”, in Susan Baddeley, Anja Voeste, director, Orthographiesin Early Modern Europe, De Gruyter Mouton, page 236

   Synonyms:

   cedilla