n.
Variant: or di · er · e · sis
Pronunciation: d ī - ' er- ə -s ə s, Brit also - ' ir-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -e · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \
Etymology: Late Latin diaeresis, from Greek diairesis, literally, division, from diairein to divide, from dia- + hairein to take
Date: circa 1611
1 : a mark {uml} placed over a vowel to indicate that the vowel is pronounced in a separate syllable (as in naïve or Brontë ) ― compare UMLAUT
2 : the break in a verse caused by the coincidence of the end of a foot with the end of a word
– di · ae · ret · ic \ ˌ d ī - ə - ' re-tik \ adjective