Definition of
Umlaut
- (noun, communication) a diacritical mark (two dots) placed over a vowel in German to indicate a change in sound
via WordNet, Princeton University
Alternate forms of Umlaut
Hypernyms: diacritic, diacritical mark
Origin of the word Umlaut
- 1852, from Ger., "change of sound," from um "about" (see ambi-) + laut "sound," from O.H.G. hlut (see listen). Coined 1774 by poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724-1803) but first used in its current sense 1819 by linguist Jakob Grimm (1785-1863). more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper