tittle English · revision 1195

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈtɪt.əl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from Middle English ''titel'', ''titil'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la-med|titulus|t=a mark over a letter]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from Latin ''titulus'' “inscription, heading”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) It is the same word as [[title]], with a specialized sense.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A small stroke or point in writing (1382), in the Wycliffite Bible at Matthew 5:18,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) where it translates Latin ''apex'' in the sense of an accent over a vowel.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Latin ''apex'' in that verse renders Greek ''keraía'' “little horn”, which in turn translates Hebrew ''qots'' “thorn”, used of the small strokes that distinguish similar Hebrew letters.^(Etymonline) From the same verse came the phrase ''jot or tittle'' and the figurative sense of the smallest part of something.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) From 1538 the word was used for the dot over an ''i'' and other diacritics.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1382 – a small stroke in writing; the smallest part.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1538 – the dot over an ''i''; a diacritic.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1607 – ''to a tittle'', with minute exactness.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small [[diacritic]] mark, such as an [[accent]] or the dot over an ''i''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The tiniest bit; an [[iota]] or [[jot]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[iota]]

+ * [[tilde]]

+ * [[titer]]

+ * [[titre]]

+ * [[title]]

+ * [[jot]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}