[ noun ] a diacritical mark (two dots) placed over a vowel in German to indicate a change in sound <noun.communication>
Diaeresis \Di*[ae]r"e*sis\, Dieresis \Di*er"e*sis\ (?; 277), n.; pl. {Di[ae]reses} or {Diereses}. [L. diaeresis, Gr. ?, fr. ? to divide; dia` through, asunder + ? to take. See {Heresy}.] 1. (Gram.) The separation or resolution of one syllable into two; -- the opposite of syn[ae]resis.
2. A mark consisting of two dots [[umlaut]], placed over the second of two adjacent vowels, to denote that they are to be pronounced as distinct letters; as, co["o]perate, a["e]rial.