a mark (¨) used as a diacritic over a vowel, as ä, ö, ü, to indicate a vowel sound different from that of the letter without the diacritic, especially as so used in German.
Also called vowel mutation. (in Germanic languages) assimilation in which a vowel is influenced by a following vowel or semivowel.
verb (used with object)
3.
to modify by umlaut.
4.
to write an umlaut over.
Origin
1835-45; < German, equivalent to um- about (i.e., changed) + Laut sound
Examples from the web for umlaut
Provision is made for an umlaut and other diacritical marks, but these are dropped in common usage.
British Dictionary definitions for umlaut
umlaut
/ˈʊmlaʊt/
noun
1.
the mark (¨) placed over a vowel in some languages, such as German, indicating modification in the quality of the vowel Compare diaeresis
2.
(esp in Germanic languages) the change of a vowel within a word brought about by the assimilating influence of a vowel or semivowel in a preceding or following syllable
Word Origin
C19: German, from um around (in the sense of changing places) + Laut sound
Word Origin and History for umlaut
n.
1852, from German umlaut "change of sound," from um "about" (see ambi-) + laut "sound," from Old High German hlut (see listen). Coined 1774 by poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724-1803) but first used in its current sense 1819 by linguist Jakob Grimm (1785-1863).