diacritic

Meanings

1. Distinguishing.
2. Denoting a distinguishing mark applied to a letter or character.

1. A special mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning.
2. A letter added to another letter serving a similar indicative function.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δῐᾰ- (dĭă-) Proto-Indo-European *krey- Proto-Indo-European *krinyétider. Proto-Hellenic *kríňňō Ancient Greek κρῑ́νω (krī́nō) Ancient Greek κρῐ- (krĭ-) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek κρῐτής (krĭtḗs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek κρῐτῐκός (krĭtĭkós) Ancient Greek δῐᾰκρῐτῐκός (dĭăkrĭtĭkós)lbor. English diacritic Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek διακριτικός (diakritikós, “distinguishing, separative”), from διακρῑ́νω (diakrī́nō, “to distinguish, separate”), from δια- (dia-, “between”) + κρῑ́νω (krī́nō, “I separate, distinguish”).