What does trema mean?
Trema is a technical noun for a diacritic formed by two dots above a vowel. In its traditional linguistic use, the mark signals a soft or palatal articulation of the vowel; in modern descriptions of writing systems, it may also indicate that adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately. English speakers encounter the same typographical device more often under the name diaeresis, especially in words such as Noël and naïve. Although the labels often overlap, diaeresis refers to separation, whereas trema derives from a Greek word associated with trembling or a tremor. The term is especially useful in phonology, historical linguistics, and the transliteration of languages whose scripts use vowel modifiers. It is not usually the first label a general reader reaches for in ordinary discussion of English spelling, but it provides a precise way to distinguish a mark's name, function, and historical tradition. In this sense, trema names a small but consequential sign that changes how a written vowel is read aloud.
nounA diacritic mark consisting of two dots placed above a vowel to indicate a soft or palatal pronunciation, or sometimes that adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately.
- A two-dot diacritic placed above a vowel to indicate its soft or palatal pronunciation, or sometimes to show that adjacent vowels are pronounced separately.
"The pronunciation guide uses a trema over the i to indicate a soft articulation."
"Editors sometimes call the two dots in Noël a trema."
"Phonological descriptions use the term trema for the soft or palatal value indicated by the mark."
The less common alternate plural tremata is also recorded in some dictionaries.
"The manuscript contains two tremas above adjacent vowels."
A trema is a tiny sign of vibration: its name comes from the Greek word for trembling.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of trema
English borrowed the term through New Latin from Greek τρέμα, “trembling” or “tremor,” derived from τρέμειν, “to tremble.” The same root underlies English words such as tremble, tremor, tremulous, and tremolo. Its linguistic use associates the mark with the imagined trembling or softened articulation of the vowel beneath it.
Related word forms
How trema is actually used
This is primarily specialist vocabulary in linguistics, phonology, and transliteration. It is less familiar to general English readers than diaeresis and is normally countable when referring to individual marks.
Easily confused with trema
A diaeresis traditionally emphasizes separation between adjacent vowels, whereas a trema traditionally denotes a soft or palatal articulation, although modern usage sometimes treats the terms interchangeably.