umlaut

Definition

An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a following vocoid that is separated by one or more consonants.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Umlaut in the 19ᵗʰ century, from um- or um (“around, re-, trans-”) + Laut (“sound”), from Old High German hlūt. More at loud.

Example Sentences

• "In fits of concealed despair that went unnoticed even by those close enough to touch, Julien cursed the language of umlauts, eszetts, and gerunds."
• "A tittle is more or less the same thing (the dot over an i, for instance), except that it can be traced back to Medieval Latin for a little mark over or under a letter, such as an accent ague or a cedilla. I don't know whether an umlaut is one or two tittles. Maybe it's a jot and a tittle side by side."
• ""Naïve" takes an umlaut because it is pronounced as two syllables."