umlaut

/ˈʊmˌlaʊt/
verb
  1. To mark a vowel with an umlaut or to change a vowel by umlaut.
    • You need to umlaut the 'a' to make the German word 'Ärger'.
    • The word 'uber' is sometimes umlauted to 'über' in formal writing.
    • In some fonts, you can umlaut a letter by holding down a key.
noun
  1. A mark (¨) placed over a vowel, especially in German, to indicate a change in the vowel's sound, such as in 'ü' or 'ö'.
    • The umlaut changes the pronunciation of the vowel.
    • In German, the word 'Mädchen' has an umlaut over the 'a'.
    • She added an umlaut to the 'o' to spell 'schön' correctly.
  2. The vowel sound change itself that is represented by the umlaut mark, common in Germanic languages.
    • The umlaut in 'mouse' to 'mice' is a remnant of Old English grammar.
    • Linguists study the umlaut as a type of sound change in language history.
    • The plural of 'foot' in English shows an umlaut, changing the vowel to 'feet'.
What does "umlaut" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean