/ ˈtɪldə; NAmE / noun
1.
the mark ( ~ ) placed over letters in some languages and some vowels in the International Phonetic Alphabet to show how they should be pronounced, as in España , São Paulo and penchant /ˈpɒ͂ʃɒ͂/
2.
(also ˌswung ˈdash ) the mark ( ~ ), used in this dictionary in some parts of an entry to represent the word in dark type at the top of the entry
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from Spanish , based on Latin titulus inscription, title.