| accent grave (`) |
| Definition - The French name for the ` diacritical mark, which is used in, for example, written Breton, Catalan, Dutch, French, Greek. |
|
Example - In English it is sometimes used to show that ed is to be pronounced as a distinct syllable, as in learnèd and hallowèd. |
|
Etymology - The word grave means "heavy" in French, and it derives from the Latin gravis, weighty or serious or heavy. |
|
Oxford English Dictionary - Its first citation is from 1609: " The circumflex is … contrary to the acute, for it begins with the acute, and ends with the grave." (Douland Ornith. Microl. 70) |