Diacritical - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Definition:
Relating to marks or signs that distinguish pronunciation or meaning in written language.
Synonyms:
distinguishing, discriminative, distinctive
Part of Speech:
adjective
Antonyms:
nondistinctive, unmarked
Common Collocations:
diacritical marks, diacritical signs, diacritical symbols
Derivatives:
diacritically, diacritic (noun)
Usage Tips:
Use "diacritical" to describe marks like accents or tildes that modify letters in writing systems.
Common Phrases:
diacritical marks, diacritical points, diacritical signs
Etymology:
From Greek "diakritikos," meaning "distinguishing," derived from "diakrinein" (to separate).
Examples:
- 1. The word "naïve" has a diacritical mark over the 'i'.
- 2. Diacritical symbols help clarify pronunciation in dictionaries.
- 3. Some languages rely heavily on diacritical characters for meaning.
- 4. The tilde is a common diacritical mark in Spanish.
- 5. Without diacritical marks, some words might be misread or misunderstood.