/ ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪk; NAmE / noun
( linguistics ) a mark such as an accent, placed over, under or through a letter in some languages, to show that the letter should be pronounced in a different way from the same letter without a mark
► dia·crit·ic·al / -ˈkrɪtɪkl; NAmE / adjective :
diacritical marks
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from Greek diakritikos , from diakrinein distinguish, from dia- through + krinein to separate.