diaeresis

Noun

diaeresis (countable and uncountable, plural diaereses)

1. A separation of one syllable (especially a vowel which is a diphthong, that is, beginning with one sound and ending with another) into two distinct syllables; distraction.

   Antonyms:

   synaeresis

2. An occurrence of separate vowel sounds in adjacent syllables without an intervening consonant; a hiatus.
3. The diacritical mark consisting of two dots (¨) placed over a letter (especially the second of two consecutive vowels) to indicate that it is sounded separately, usually as a distinct syllable.
   • Diæreſis is vvhen tvvo points ouer a vovvell diuide it from another vovvel, as bouë, queuë, read bou-e, queu-e, not bo-ue, que-ue.1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Briefe Directions for Such as Desire to Learne the French Tongue. And First, of the Vowels, and Diphthongs.”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues...
   • The Diæresis is used to divide a diphthong into two syllables; as, Creätor.1841, William Corry, “Grammatical Terms, with Their Respective Marks and Explanations”, in An English Spelling Book, with Reading Lessons; for the Use of the Parish and Other Schools of New...

   Synonyms:

   trema, umlaut

4. (figuratively, rare, rhetoric) A division, a separation.
5. A natural break in rhythm when a word ends at the end of a metrical foot in a line of verse.
6. (archaic) An act of separating body parts or tissues which are normally together.
   • There are four^([sic]) manners of performing the Diæreſis: viz. by Cutting, Pricking, Tearing, Dravving, and Burning.1728, E[phraim] Chambers, “Diæresis”, in Cyclopædia: Or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences; […] In Two Volumes, volumes I (A–H), London: […] James and John Knapton [et al.], →OCLC, page...