A

head

A (upper case, lower case a, plural As or A's)

From Middle English and Old English upper case letter A and split of Middle English and Old English upper case letter Æ.
* The Old English letters A and Æ replaced the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters ᚪ (a, “āc”) and ᚫ (æ, “æsc”), derived from the Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”), in the 7th century.

Apple starts with A.

Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. He would trace out A, B, C, D, in the dust with his great hoof […]

1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:

The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.


f

f (lower case, upper case F, plural fs or f's)

Old English lower case letter f, from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case f of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚠ (f, “fe”).

The sixth letter of the English alphabet, called ef and written in the Latin script.


y

y (lower case, upper case Y, plural ys or y's)

The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, called wy or wye and written in the Latin script.

this letter was sometimes used to approximate þ


o

o (lower case, upper case O, plural os or o's)

The fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.

The system's Bayer designation is o Persei.

Alternative form of ο, the fifteenth letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets, called omicron and (astronomy) used as an abbreviation of omicron in star names.


i

i (lower case, upper case I, plural is or i's)

The ninth letter of the English alphabet, called i and written in the Latin script.


X

X (upper case, lower case x, plural Xs or X's)

The twenty-fourth letter of the English alphabet, called ex and written in the Latin script.


Renders the print letter a, including the independent word a.


e

e (lower case, upper case E, plural es or e's)

The letter name is ultimately from Latin ē. Use of the Latin letter in (Old) English displaced, in whole or in part, five futhorc letters in the 7th century: ᛖ (e), ᚫ (æ), ᛠ (ea), ᛇ (eo), and ᛟ (œ).

The fifth letter of the English alphabet, called e and written in the Latin script.


b

b (lower case, upper case B, plural bs or b's)

The second letter of the English alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.


c

c (lower case, upper case C, plural cs or c's)

Old English lower case letter c, from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case c of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚳ (c, “cen”).

The third letter of the English alphabet, called cee and written in the Latin script.


d

d (lower case, upper case D, plural ds or d's)

From the Old English lower case letter d, from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case d of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛞ.

Rupert. I am told so, sir. But then so does the other Cadell. A devastating creature who spells it with two d’s.

1929, Patrick Hamilton, Rope, New York City: Samuel French, Act I, page 30:

The fourth letter of the English alphabet, called dee and written in the Latin script.


g

g (lower case, upper case G, plural gs or g's)

The seventh letter of the English alphabet, called gee and written in the Latin script.


h

h (lower case, upper case H, plural hs or h's)

The eighth letter of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script.


j

j (lower case, upper case J, plural js or j's)

The tenth letter of the English alphabet, called jay and written in the Latin script.


k

k (lower case, upper case K, plural ks or k's)

The eleventh letter of the English alphabet, called kay and written in the Latin script.

The first letter of callsigns allocated to American broadcast television and radio stations west of the Mississippi river.


l

l (lower case, upper case L, plural ls or l's)

The twelfth letter of the English alphabet, called el and written in the Latin script.


m

m (lower case, upper case M, plural ms or m's)

The thirteenth letter of the English alphabet, called em and written in the Latin script.


n

n (lower case, upper case N, plural ns or n's)

The fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.


p

p (lower case, upper case P, plural ps or p's)

The sixteenth letter of the English alphabet, called pee and written in the Latin script.


q

q (lower case, upper case Q, plural qs or q's)

The seventeenth letter of the English alphabet, called cue and written in the Latin script.


r

r (lower case, upper case R, plural rs or r's)

Old English lower case letter r, from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case r of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚱ.

The eighteenth letter of the English alphabet, called ar and written in the Latin script.


s

s (lower case, upper case S, plural ss or s's)

The nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, called ess and written in the Latin script.


t

t (lower case, upper case T, plural ts or t's)

The twentieth letter of the English alphabet, called tee and written in the Latin script.


u

u (lower case, upper case U, plural us or u's)

From Middle English lower case letter v (also written u), from Old English lower case u, from 7th century replacement by lower case u of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚢ (u, ur), derived from Raetic letter u.
Before the 1700s, the pointed form v was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form u was used elsewhere, regardless of sound. So whereas valor and excuse appeared as in modern printing, have and upon were printed haue and vpon. Eventually, in the 1700s, to differentiate between the consonant and vowel sounds, the v form was used to represent the consonant, and u the vowel sound. v then preceded u in the alphabet, but the order has since reversed.

I prefer the u in Arial to the one in Times New Roman.

The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.


v

v (lower case, upper case V, plural vs or v's)

From Middle English lower case letter v (also written u), from Old English lower case u and respelling of Old English f between vowels and voiced consonants.
* Old English lower case f from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case f of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚠ (f, “feoh”), derived from Etruscan letter 𐌅 (v).
* Old English lower case u from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case v of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚢ (u, “ur”), derived from Raetic letter u.
Before the 1700s, the pointed form v was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form u was used elsewhere, regardless of sound. So whereas valor and excuse appeared as in modern printing, have and upon were printed haue and vpon. Eventually, in the 1700s, to differentiate between the consonant and vowel sounds, the v form was used to represent the consonant, and u the vowel sound. v then preceded u in the alphabet, but the order has since reversed.

The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script.


w

w (lower case, upper case W, plural ws or w's)

The twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double-u and written in the Latin script.


z

z (lower case, upper case Z, plural zs or z's)

The twenty-sixth letter of the English alphabet, called zed, zee, or izzard and written in the Latin script.


yi

yi (lower case, upper case YI, plural yis or yi's)

YI (uppercase)
yis (plural)
yi's (plural)

The Cyrillic letter Ї ї, used in the Ukrainian and Rusyn alphabets.


è

è (lower case, upper case È, plural ès or è's)

Found in words borrowed from other languages.

My wingèd helmet and my wingèd heel

Used poetically instead of e in order to indicate that it is pronounced, as opposed to mute.


æ

æ (lower case, upper case Æ, plural æs or æ's)

(chiefly dated) The letter ash, a ligature of vowels a and e.


(Stenoscript) The sound sequences /(V)nd/, /(V)nt/

a— — [amendment]

(Stenoscript) The suffixes or sequences mand, mend, mond, and -ment.


𐑿

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑘⟩ /j/ and ⟨𐑵⟩ /uː/.


𐑾

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑦⟩ /ɪ/ and ⟨𐑩⟩ /ə/.


𐑽

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑦⟩ /ɪ/, ⟨𐑩⟩ /ə/, and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


𐑼

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑩⟩ /ə/ and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


𐑻

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑧⟩ /ɛ/ and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


𐑺

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑱⟩ /eɪ/ and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


𐑹

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑷⟩ /ɔː/ and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


𐑸

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑭⟩ /ɑː/ and ⟨𐑮⟩ /r/.


Renders the print sequence of, including the independent word of.


(indicating emotion): Perhaps borrowed from Japanese ~, 〜, 〰, emphatic form of ー (long vowel mark).

cõtempt — contempt

The begyñyng off the Goſpell of Ieſu Chriſt the ſonne off God / as yt ys written in the prophettꝭ[…]

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Mark j:[1–2], folio xliij, verso:

And he [Jesus] made a ſcourge off ſmale cordes / and drave thẽ all out off the temple / bothe ſhepe and oxen / ãd powred doune the changers money / and overthrue their tables.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, John ij:[15], folio cxxj, verso:

And immediatly his fete ãd anclebones receaved ſtrenght / and he ſprange / ſtode / ãd alſo walked / ãd entred with them into the temple walkinge / and leapynge / and laudynge god.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts iij:[7–8], folio clvij, recto:

And you ſhall finde, that the ſcriptures will instruct the man of God vnto all good works, & make him wiſe vnto ſaluation, if theſe wil not ſerue your turn, ſeeke where you wil, & find yͤ deuil & eternal damnatiõ.

1580, T. Stapleton and Martiall (Two Popish Heretikes) Confuted, and of Their Particular Heresies Detected, London: Middleton, Henrie, page 167:

Yet could she for some yeares, so carry her selfe among them, that they found cause in the delicacie of her sex, of admiration, not of cõtempt : & which was notable, even in the time that many countries were full of wars (which for old grudges to Corinth were thought still would conclude there) yet so hãdled she the matter, that the threatens ever smarted in the threatners; she using so straũge, and yet so well‐succeeding a temper, that she made her people by peace, warlike ; her courtiers by sports, learned ; her Ladies by Love, chast.

c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “[The Thirde Booke] Chapter 21”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC, folio 283, recto:

The Lord is not ſlacke cõcerning his promiſe (as ſome men count ſlackneſſe)[…].

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Peter 3:9, column 2:

Written on a letter, usually a vowel, in place of an omitted n or m.


(poetic) Used to indicate that the suffix -ed is pronounced with a schwa: lookèd (IPA /ˈlʊkəd/); past-tense learned vs adjective learnèd. Often used for metrical reasons.

(lexicography) Sometimes used for secondary stress in glossaries that use ◌́ for primary stress when full pronunciations are not given.

pièce de résistance
pièce de résistance#English

Retained in foreign (mostly French) loan words, particularly when unassimilated: à la carte, crème brûlée, pièce de résistance, pied-à-terre, tête-à-tête, vis-à-vis.

(rare) An affectation in some proper names: e.g. Ketèlbey.


a

a (lowercase, uppercase A, plural as or a's)

The letter name is from Middle English ā, from Old French, ultimately from Latin ā. Use of the Latin letter in (Old) English displaced the futhorc letter ᚪ (a) beginning in the 7th century, and partially also ᚫ (æ).

This expression is zero, for we have replaced the column of a''''s by the column of bs and hence the determinant has two columns identical.

1917, John Wesley Young, Frank Millett Morgan, Elementary Mathematical Analysis, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, page 487:

Passmore. Capital P-a-double s-m-o-r-e.

1926, George Kelly, Craig's Wife, Act I, page 5:

Note that with 18-point type, fifteen capital A's, twenty-five lowercase a's, and twelve 1's are obtained with one font. With this information, it is possible to refer to Table 10-1 which gives the number of characters for each letter, punctuation mark, or figure.

1974, Ervin A. Dennis, John D. Jenkins, “A Font of Type”, in Comprehensive Graphic Arts, Indianapolis, I.N.: Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc., →ISBN, page 26, column 2:

Across every sheet of paper were lines and lines of letters of the alphabet. A row of a's followed by a row of b's and so on, pages of them, like pages from a copy book, crudely formed as if from the hand of a young child.

2013, Margaret McPhee, Mistress to the Marquis, Toronto, Ont.: Harlequin Historical, →ISBN, page 249:

In the seventh grade I admired a charismatic, witty girl who had a particular way of writing her lowercase a's. After some practice, I took to writing my lowercase a's in the same fashion.

2014 February 23, Rivka Galchen, “What’s Become of the So-Called Literary Bad Boy?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2014-02-19:

The first letter of the English alphabet, written in the Latin script.


B

B (upper case, lower case b, plural Bs or B's)

From the Old English letter B, from 7th century replacement by Latin B of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛒ (b, beorc).

The second letter of the English alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.


C

C (upper case, lower case c, plural Cs or C's)

The third letter of the English alphabet, called cee and written in the Latin script.


D

D (upper case, lower case d, plural Ds or D's)

From Old English D, a 7th century replacement by Latin upper case letter D of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛞ (d, “daeg”).

The fourth letter of the English alphabet, called dee and written in the Latin script.


E

E (upper case, lower case e, plural Es or E's)

From Middle English and Old English upper case letter E and split of Æ, EA, EO, and Œ, from five 7th century replacements of Anglo-Saxon Futhorcs by Latin letters:
* Old English letter E, from replacement by Latin letter E of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛖ (e).
* Old English letter Æ from replacement by Latin ligature Æ of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚫ (æ).
* Old English digraph EA, from replacement by Latin digraph EA of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛠ (ea).
* Old English digraph EO from replacement by Latin digraph EO of Anglo-Saxon Futhorc ᛇ (eo).
* Old English letter Œ from replacement by Latin ligature Œ of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᛟ (œ).

On several occasions, indeed, he did learn E, F, G, H, but by the time he knew them, it was always discovered that he had forgotten A, B, C, and D.

The fifth letter of the English alphabet, called e and written in the Latin script.


F

F (upper case, lower case f, plural Fs or F's)

The sixth letter of the English alphabet, called ef and written in the Latin script.


G

G (upper case, lower case g, plural Gs or G's)

The seventh letter of the English alphabet, called gee and written in the Latin script.


H

H (upper case, lower case h, plural Hs or H's)

The eighth letter of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script.


I

I (upper case, lower case i, plural Is or I's)

Old French i, from Latin ī, from Etruscan I (i).

The ninth letter of the English alphabet, called i and written in the Latin script.


J

J (upper case, lower case j, plural Js or J's)

j (lowercase)
Js (plural)
J's (plural)
J. (alternative)
j. (alternative)
j (alternative)

The tenth letter of the English alphabet, called jay and written in the Latin script.


K

K (upper case, lower case k, plural Ks or K's)

The symbol K, however, was not entirely lost; it is found irregularly in inscriptions of all dates down to the times of the empire, and regularly as an initial abbreviation of Kalendæ, Karthago, Kæso (the proper name).

1876, "C" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 616

The eleventh letter of the English alphabet, called kay and written in the Latin script.


L

L (upper case, lower case l, plural Ls or L's)

The twelfth letter of the English alphabet, called el and written in the Latin script.


M

M (upper case, lower case m, plural Ms or M's)

The thirteenth letter of the English alphabet, called em and written in the Latin script.


N

N (upper case, lower case n, plural Ns or N's)

The fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.


O

O (upper case, lower case o, plural Os or O's)

"Supposing somebody sees you, with all those flowers too? Supposing somebody writes him a letter? Ooooh!" (a pure round open Tamil O.)

1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 421:

The fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script.


P

P (upper case, lower case p, plural Ps or P's)

Passmore. Capital P-a-double s-m-o-r-e.

The sixteenth letter of the English alphabet, called pee and written in the Latin script.


Q

Q (upper case, lower case q, plural Qs or Q's)

The seventeenth letter of the English alphabet, called cue and written in the Latin script.


R

R (upper case, lower case r, plural Rs or R's)

From the Etruscan letter 𐌓 (r, “er”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ρ (R, “rho”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤓 (r, “reš”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓁶.

The eighteenth letter of the English alphabet, called ar and written in the Latin script.


S

S (upper case, lower case s, plural Ss or S's)

The nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, called ess and written in the Latin script.


T

T (upper case, lower case t, plural Ts or T's)

The twentieth letter of the English alphabet, called tee and written in the Latin script.


U

U (upper case, lower case u, plural Us or U's)

The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

Something shaped like the letter U:
A U-turn ('turned a U in the road')

(horticulture) A double upright cordon espalier (also double U, triple U).


V

V (upper case, lower case v, plural Vs or V's)

The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script.


W

W (upper case, lower case w, plural Ws or W's)

The twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double U and written in the Latin script.


Y

Y (upper case, lower case y, plural Ys or Y's)

The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, called wye and written in the Latin script.

Used for the Greek letter Υ (Y, “upsilon”).


Z

Z (upper case, lower case z, plural Zs or Z's)

The twenty-sixth letter of the English alphabet, called zed or zee and written in the Latin script.


(dated) Used to indicate that two identical vowels occur in separate morphemes and are pronounced separately: coöperate, reënter, reëstablish, noöne, reöpen.

Used to indicate that the marked vowel is the nucleus of its own syllable: Boötes, Brontë, Chloë, Zoë, (dated) aëroplane, aërial.

Retained in foreign (mostly French) loan words where vowels are pronounced separately: naïve (or naive), Noël (or Noel), but also for umlaut in German Götterdämmerung, Führer, and terms derived from given names, such as Möbius strip


Œ

Œ (upper case, lower case œ, plural Œs or Œ's)

(chiefly dated) Ligature of vowels O and E, called œthel.


ff

ffor, as the Love of heaven makes one heavenly, the love of vertue vertuous, ſo dothe the love of the Worlde make one become worldly, […]

Albert Feuillerat, editor (1926), “The First Book”, in The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia: Being the Original Version […] (Cambridge English Classics; The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; IV), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, page 17

Often written in old manuscripts or transcriptions of them, denoting a capital F.


é

café, resumé, animé

For details and for less common usage, see the entry for the acute accent, ⟨◌́⟩.

Found chiefly in words borrowed from other languages. When it occurs as the last letter of the word, it indicates that the e is not silent.


x

x (lower case, upper case X, plural xs or x's)

The twenty-fourth letter of the English alphabet, called ex and written in the Latin script.

alumnx, Chicanx (Xicanx), Filipinx, Latinx, Mx, mxn, Tejanx, womxn

Forming gender-neutral or otherwise more inclusive versions of words, especially Spanish-derived words by replacing both the masculine -o and feminine -a.


(Shavian) the 'namer dot' that optionally precedes proper names to mark them as such.


õ

cõpose — compose

reckõ — reckon

(Early Modern, obsolete) The letter o with a tilde, replacing the sequence on or om.


ſ

ſ (lower case, upper case S, plural ſs or ſ's)

VVritten in Latine by M.Iohn Caluine, and tranſlated into Engliſ he according to the authors laſt edition, By thomas norton. […] And the redemptor ſ hall come to Sion,and vnto thẽ that turne frõ their vvickednes in Iacob.

1574, Iohn Caluine, translated by Thomas Norton, The Institution of Christian Religion, London: […] [T]he widowe of Reginalde Wolffe, title page and Table page:

God is not onely a bare permiſsiue agent in an euill worke, but a powerfull effectour of the ſame[…]

1595, William Perkins, A Golden Chaine, or The Description Oe Theologie, page 16:

The Lord Commiſsioner ſheweth, that it is his Majeſties will that the Parliament be prorogated to the 2. of June, and that by his Majeſties authority only: of the prorogation, the prætenſion is pag. 30.

1640, The Proceedings of the Commissioners Sent from the Parliament of Scotland to the King, page 52:

So upon the 20. of Auguﬆ Mr. Frederick Schzdel a Merchant, ſet ſail in the good Ship called the Brown Fiſh, very richly freighted with all ſorts of Merchandizes from Taiwan to Canton; and after nine days ſail, landed in the Canton River, at a place called Heytamon.

1669, An Embassy from the East-India Company on the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperor of China, pages 20–21:

THE FIRST VISION OF THE Algouazil (or Catchpole) Poſſeﬆ.

1702, Francisco de Quevedo-Villegas, translated by Roger Lestrange, The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo-Villegas. Knight of the Order of S^(t.) James., London: […] B. Harris, page 1:

Dor. I have been told, noble Squire, that you once impos’d a certain lady for Dulcinea on your maſter; now what think you if this young lady here ſhould perſonate that incomparable princeſs? / Jez. Who, I? / San. Adod! your princeſsſhip has hit it; for he has never ſeen this Dulcinea, nor has any body elſe, that I can hear of;

1767, Henry Fielding, The Works of Henry Fielding: In Twelve Volumes, with the Life of the Author, volume 3, page 273:

But he does not ſtab him for his treachery toward hisſelf […]

1783, Joseph Ritson, Remarks, Critical and Illustrative, on the Text and Notes of the Last Edition of Shakspeare, page 223:

Many fanciful methods have been invented by thoſe who wiſhed to render puerile ſports conducive to improvement. I never found that they were ſucceſsful.
I muſt own myſelf an advocate for puerile liberty*, during the alloted hours of relaxation. Boys have much reſtraint and confinement in the time of ſtudy.

1785, Vicesimus Knox, Liberal Education: Or, a Practical Treatiſe on the Methods of Acquiring Uſeful and Polite Learning, vol. II, pp. 1 & 3, section XXXI: On the regulation of puerile diverſions

Thoſe of the effeminate kind ſuperinduce effeminacy; weakneſs of mind, no leſs than imbecility of body. Something ſimilar happens in puerile diverſions. The boy who has been kept in leading-ſtrings too long, and reſtrained from hardy ſports by the fondneſs of his mother, will ſcarcely ever become a man; or poſſeſs that becoming ſpirit which can enable him to act his part with propriety.

75. On the 11th of May, 1759, the Lords amend a turnpike road Bill, by inſerting a clauſe, “That no gate ſhall be erected within a mile of Enſham Ferry”. The conſideration of this amendment is reſolved, nemine contradicente, to be put off for a month.

1796, John Hatsell, Precedents of Proceedings in the House of Commons: With Observations, page 102:

Engliſh Poems /[…]/ New York: The Caſsell Publiſhing Company, 104, Fourth Avenᵉ.

1892, Richard Le Gallienne, English Poems, London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane at The Bodley Head; New York: The Cassell Publishing Company, […], page [iii]:

Do you deem it to be ſenſible to bring back the long ‘s’?[…]
It would ſuck.

2018, “Do you deem it to be ſenſible to bring back the long ‘s’?”, in Quora, archived from the original on 2023-06-06:

(archaic) The nineteenth letter of the English alphabet, called long s, medial s, or descending s and written in the Latin script.


œ

(chiefly archaic) A ligature of vowels o and e.


Æ

Æ (upper case, lower case æ, plural Æs or Æ's)

(chiefly dated or linguistics) A ligature of vowels A and E, called ash.

(archaic) aevum; formerly used on gravestones to indicate the deceased's age at time of death


Used on loan words to mark e's (mostly final) that are pronounced rather than silent, e.g. animé, café, exposé, maté, resumé, paté, saké; Malé, Pokémon. (Cf. expose, mate, resume, pate, sake, male.)

(lexicography) Used in glossaries, such as for Latinate technical terms or Classical names, to mark stressed syllables when full pronunciations are not given, as the pronunciation is largely predictable once stress-placement is known.

(poetry, rare) Used to show an unexpectedly stressed syllable, or where the choice of stress is metrically important, e.g. idiosyncratic caléndar; noun rébel as opposed to verb rebél; áll trádes as a spondee rather than iamb.

And in his wound the seared blood did make a gréeuous sound,
 As when a peece of stéele red who tane vp with tongs is drownd
 In water by the smith, it spirts and hisseth in the trowgh.

1567, Ovid, “The Twelfth Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, folio 152, recto:

1577, William Harrison, The Description of England in Holinshed’s Chronicles, Volume 1, Book 3, Chapter 12 “Of venemous beastes &c.,”
Our hony alſo is taken and reputed to be the beſt bycauſe it is harder, better wrought & clenlyer veſſelled vp, thẽ that which cõmeth from beyond the ſea, where they ſtampe and ſtraine their combes, Bées, & young Blowinges altogither into the ſtuffe, as I haue béene informed.

The King ſent to the Londoners requeſting to borrowe of them one thouſande pounde, whiche they ſtoutely denyed, and alſo euil entreated, bette and néere hand ſlew a certain Lumbard that woulde haue lent the King the ſayde ſumme, which when the King heard he was maruellouſly angried, and calling togither almoſt all the nobles of the lande, hée opened to them the malitiouſneſſe of the Londoners, and cõplayned of theyr preſumption, the whyche noble men gaue counſell, that their inſolencie ſhoulde with ſpéede be oppreſſed, and theyr pride abated.

1580, Iohn Stow (collector), The Chronicles of England, from Brute vnto This Present Yeare of Christ 1580., London: […] Ralphe Newberie, […], page 512:

1582, Stephen Batman (translator), Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, London: Thomas East, Book 5, Chapter 26, “Of the shoulders,”
The twisted forkes be néedfull to binde the shoulders, and to depart them from the breast.

The raueled cheat therfore is generallie ſo made that out of one buſhell of meale, after two and twentie pounds of bran be ſifted and taken from it (wherevnto they ad the gurgeons that riſe from the manchet) they make thirtie cast, euerie lofe weighing eightéene ounces into the ouen and ſixteene ounces out[…]

1587, Raphaell Holinshed, Iohn Hooker, “Of the food and diet of the Engliſh”, in The firſt and ſecond volumes of Chronicles […] , volume I, London: Henry Denham, page 169:

I take it néedles, and booteles to make ouer déepe, or ſcrupulous enquiry into euery moſt auncient, and obſolete antiquitie: I preſuppoſe it ſufficient to peruſe, and examine the moſt famous, and moſt autentique ſuppoſed propheſies, that haue curranteſt paſſage, and repaſſage in moſt mouthes, and bookes: conſidering how eaſily euerie indifferent man may proportionably make eſtimation of the woorſe, by the better, and ratably value the one by the other.

1588, John Harvey, A Discoursive Probleme concerning Prophesies, how far they are to be valued or credited, page 8:

[…] euen ſo it fareth with mee, who béeing about to anatomize Abſurditie, am vrged to take a view of ſundry mens vanitie, a ſuruey of their follie, a briefe of their barbariſme […]

1589, Thomas Nashe, The Anatomie of Absurditie:

If thou grieueſt that beeing the daughter of a Prince, and enuie thwarteth thée with ſuch hard exigents, thinke that royaltie is a faire marke; that Crownes haue croſſes when mirth is in Cottages; that the fairer the Roſe is, the ſooner it is bitten with Catterpillers; […]

1590, T[homas] L[odge], “Alindas Comfort to Perplexed Rosalynd”, in Rosalynde. Euphues Golden Legacie: […], London: […] Thomas Orwin for T. G[ubbin] and John Busbie, →OCLC; republished [Glasgow]: [ […] Hunterian Club], [1876], →OCLC, folio 13, verso, page 34:

I appoynt thée no more continencie, than to eate while thy bellie is full, nor conﬅancie, but to brawle rather than burne: a filbert is better than a faggot, except it be an Athenian ſhe handfull: you know that Coſmoſophos, euer ſince your laﬅ mariage, how doth the father of your ſonne in law?

1591, T[homas] L[odge] of Lincolns, Catharos Diogenes in his Singularitie: Wherein is comprehended his merrie baighting fit for all mens benefits: Christened by him, A Nettle for Nice Noſes, London: Iohn Busbie, page 12; republished [Glasgow]: [Hunterian Club], [1875]:

As for the Tapſter, he fled into the Cellar, rapping out fiue or ſixe plaine Country oathes, that hée would drowne himſelfe in a moſt villanous Stand of Ale, if the ſicke Londoner ſtoode at the doore any longer.

1603, Thomas Dekker, “The VVonderfull Yeare”, in The Non-Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker, volume I, published 1884, pages 123–124:

(non-final) ancien régime, coup d'état, décor, déjà vu, détente, élite, résumé, séance.

(final) attaché, blasé, canapé, cliché, communiqué, entrée, mêlée, fiancé, fiancée, papier-mâché, passé, pâté, plié, résumé, risqué, naïveté, toupée, touché, as well as café, exposé above.

Retained in foreign loan words (mostly French é), particularly when unassimilated:


(lexicography) Used to mark a vowel letter as having its 'long' sound: ⟨ā⟩ /eɪ/, ⟨ē⟩ /iː/, ⟨ī⟩ /aɪ/, ⟨ō⟩ /oʊ/, ⟨ū⟩ /juː/.

(poetry) Placed over a vowel letter to indicate that the syllable is long. Also used alone to mark stress in a metrical foot or verse: see ⟨ˉ⟩.


Retained in foreign loan words (mostly French ç): façade (or facade).


(lexicography) The breve, used to mark a vowel letter as having its 'short' sound: ⟨ă⟩ /æ/, ⟨ĕ⟩ /ɛ/, ⟨ĭ⟩ /ɪ/, ⟨ŏ⟩ /ɒ/, ⟨ŭ⟩ /ʌ/.

(poetry) Placed over a vowel letter to indicate that the syllable is short. Also used alone to mark a syllable without stress in a metrical foot or verse: see ⟨˘⟩.


ã

commãd — command

hãmer — hammer

(Early Modern, obsolete) The letter a with a tilde, replacing the sequence an or am.


ẽ

thẽ — them

repẽt — repent

(Early Modern, obsolete) The letter e with a tilde, replacing the sequence en or em.


Renders the print sequence st in the same morpheme.


[Both the Latin script and the Braille text are written on a plaque.]
MEN'S LOCKER ROOM
Members's Only
⠍⠢⠄⠎⠀⠇⠕⠉⠅⠻⠀⠗⠕⠕⠍ (men's locker room)


Renders the print sequence -ing, including the suffix -ing.


Renders the print sequence ed, including the past-tense suffix -ed.


Renders the print sequence the, including the independent word the.


Renders the print sequence -ble, including in the common suffixes -able and -ible.


Renders the print sequence and, including the independent word and.


Renders the print sequence er, included the suffix -er.


Renders the print sequence with, including the independent word with.


Renders the print sequence for, including the independent word for.


ũ

thũder — thunder

trũpet — trumpet

(Early Modern, obsolete) The letter u with a tilde, replacing the sequence un or um.


𐑗

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑑⟩ /t/ and ⟨𐑖⟩ /ʃ/.


𐑡

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑛⟩ /d/ and ⟨𐑠⟩ /ʒ/.


𐑣

A rotated letter ⟨𐑙⟩ /ŋ/, from the jocular suggestion that English /h/ and /ŋ/ are allophones.


ꝑ

parliament → ꝑliament

Over all this, hee ware a certeyne Mantell of like ſtuffe, made in ſuche maner, that coming vnder his righte arme, and covering moſte ꝑte of that ſyde, yt tuched not the lefte ſyde, […]

Albert Feuillerat, editor (1926), “The First Book”, in The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia: Being the Original Version […] (Cambridge English Classics; The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; IV), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, pages 23–24

⸿Here begynneth a deuout treatyſe in Englyſſhe / called the Pylgrimage of perfection: very ꝓfitable foꝛ all chꝛiſten people to rede: and in eſpeciall / to all relygious ꝑſons moche neceſſary.

1526, [William Bonde], […] [T]he Pylgrimage of Perfection: […], London: […] Richarde Pynson […], →OCLC, title page:

He that hathe not this fayth, is but an vnpꝛofytable babler of fayth and woꝛkes / and wotteth nother what he bableth noꝛ what he meaneth, oꝛ whereunto his woꝛdes ꝑtayne.

1527, William Tyndale, The Parable of the Wycked Mammõ […], [London]: [s.n.], published [1537?], →OCLC, folio vii, verso:

[T]his effeminate love of a Woman, dothe ſo womaniſh a man, that, yf yow yeelde to yt, yt will not onely make yow a famous Amazon but a Launder, a Diſtaff ſpinner, or whatſoever other vyle occupacyon theyre Idle heades can Imagyn, and theyre weyke handes ꝑforme: […]

Albert Feuillerat, editor (1926), “The First Book”, in The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia: Being the Original Version […] (Cambridge English Classics; The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; IV), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, page 17


ĩ

wĩ — win

ĩposed — imposed

(Early Modern, obsolete) The letter i with a tilde, replacing the sequence in or im.


Ɡ

(IPA, rare) The capital form of the letter script ɡ, used when transcribing English into IPA with capital letters.


Ɜ

(IPA, rare) The capital form of the letter ɜ, used when transcribing English into IPA with capital letters.


(lexicography) Used to mark digraphs such as the consonants ⟨c͜h, n͡g, s͜h, t͜h, z͜h⟩ for IPA /t͡ʃ, ŋ, ʃ, θ, ʒ/, ⟨ᴋ͜ʜ⟩ for Scottish /x/, or the rhotic vowels ⟨a͡r, e͡r⟩ for IPA /ɑɹ, ɜɹ/.


Retained in foreign loan words (mostly French): château, crème brûlée, crêpe, maître d', mêlée, papier-mâché, rôle, tête-à-tête.


Ɒ

(IPA, rare) The capital form of the letter ɒ, used when transcribing English into IPA with capital letters.


(lexicography, dated) Ties together the pronunciation-key digraphs a͟i and c͟h.


(lexicography) Marks a vowel as a schwa.

(lexicography) A partially or optionally reduced vowel, e.g. fa᷵‧tal′i‧ty, de᷵‧pend′, pro᷵‧pose′, for′mu᷵‧late.


(lexicography, dated) Ties together the pronunciation-key digraphs a᷍a, a᷍i, a᷍u, e᷍e, e᷍i, e᷍u, o᷍i.


(lexicography) Used to mark the digraph ⟨oo⟩ as having its 'long' sound: ⟨o͞o⟩ /uː/.

(lexicography, dated) Ties together the pronunciation-key digraphs a͞a, a͞e, a͞o, e͞w, c͞i, s͞i, t͞h, t͞i.


(lexicography) Used to mark the digraph ⟨oo⟩ as having its 'short' sound: ⟨o͝o⟩ /ʊ/.


𐑱

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑧⟩ /ɛ/ and ⟨𐑦⟩ /ɪ/.


𐑲

Ligature of the letters ⟨𐑨⟩ /æ/ and ⟨𐑦⟩ /ɪ/.