inverted circumflex
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inverted circumflex
Where it comes from
From its earliest attested use as an idiomatic phrase in 1810, inverted circumflex was first used to denote a dipping tone — an inversion of the peaking tone denoted by ⟨῀⟩, the Ancient Greek περισπωμένη (perispōménē), commonly translated as “circumflex” — thence the name was applied to diacritics which marked such a dipping tone and, by extension, other tones to which it was suited; finally, due to such a diacritic’s resemblance to the háček, the name came to be applied to it as well.
noun inverted circumflexes
- A dipping tone. The inflection, which begins upward and ends downward on the same syllable, called the circumflexed slide, is exemplified by the proper utterance of the word they in the succeeding instance: Not he, but they are in fault. And the inflection, which is just the reverse of this, namely, which begins do
- Any diacritic obtained by rotating a circumflex (ˆ) 180°. This rising inflection will be indicated by an inverted circumflex ( ˇ ) being placed over the last syllable in the clause that bears the primary accent.
- A háček. In this way c surmounted by an inverted circumflex accent stands for our sound of ch, which in Russian, Polish, or Servian words, we usually see spelled cz.
Talk about this word "inverted circumflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/inverted%20circumflex. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. inverted circumflex. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/inverted%20circumflex "inverted circumflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/inverted%20circumflex.Cite this
@misc{inverted_circumflex_2026,
title = {inverted circumflex},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/inverted%20circumflex},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
