cedilla

English

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cedilla

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Spanish cedilla (literally “little zed”), c. 1600. In Spanish cedilla referred to the letter ⟨Ç⟩, which had evolved from ⟨Ꝣ⟩, a Visigothic form of the letter Z (called a Z with copete); hence the name. The lower part of ⟨Ç⟩ (which came to be reinterpreted as a diacritical mark under a C) is the remnant of the original Z, after it gradually reduced in size; whereas the upper part was originally just an ornamentation over the Z (which increased in size until it resembled letter C, and finally came to be identified with this letter).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səˈdɪlə/, enPR: sə-dĭʹlə
• Rhymes: -ɪlə

Noun

cedilla (plural cedillas)

1. (orthography) In the spelling of Catalan, French, Portuguese and some other languages, a mark ⟨¸⟩ sometimes placed under the letter c to indicate that it is pronounced /s/ rather than /k/, as in Catalan força, French menaçant, and Portuguese almoço, and also used in various other languages to change the sounds of other letters.

   Synonyms: (dated) cedille, cédille

Usage notes

Sometimes retained in words which have been adopted into English, specifically from French, such as facade/façade.

Translations

See also

• ç
• ogonek

Anagrams

• cleidal

Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish ceda (“letter Z”) +‎ -illa (diminutive suffix); cognate with modern Spanish zeta.

Pronunciation

• Syllabification: ce‧di‧lla

Noun

cedilla f (plural cedillas)

1. name of the letter ç
2. (orthography) cedilla

Descendants

Further reading

• “cedilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014