Meanings
plural hypodiastoles
- A mark ⟨⸒⟩ in late Classical and Medieval Greek used as a form of interpunct to show two words should be read separately in situations where they might otherwise be confused with an identically spelled single word.
Synonyms: diastole
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA mark ⟨⸒⟩ in late Classical and Medieval Greek used as a form of interpunct to show two words should be read separately in situations where they might otherwise be confused with an identically spelled single word.
Origin
- Ancient Greekὑποδιαστολή
- Latinhypodiastolē
- Englishhypodiastole
From Latin hypodiastolē, from Ancient Greek ὑποδιαστολή (hupodiastolḗ), from ὑπό (hupó, “under, lower”) + διαστολή (diastolḗ, “separation, distinction”), from διαστέλλω (diastéllō, “separate”), from διά (diá, “through, during”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “order, arrange”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Greek υποδιαστολή
- υποδιαστολή (ypodiastolí)written mark used to separate words and to distinguish homographs
Latin diastolē
- diastolēwritten mark used to separate words and to distinguish homographs
Cite this entry
hypodiastole. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypodiastole
“hypodiastole.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypodiastole. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hypodiastole,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypodiastole.
Source: hypodiastole on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.