cedilla

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish cedilla (literally “little zed”), c. 1600. In Spanish cedilla referred to the letter ⟨Ç⟩, which had evolved from ⟨Ꝣ⟩, a Visigothic form of the letter Z (called a Z with copete); hence the name. The lower part of ⟨Ç⟩ (which came to be reinterpreted as a diacritical mark under a C) is the remnant of the original Z, after it gradually reduced in size; whereas the upper part was originally just an ornamentation over the Z (which increased in size until it resembled letter C, and finally came to be identified with this letter). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /səˈdɪlə/, enPR: sə-dĭʹlə Rhymes: -ɪlə === Noun === cedilla (plural cedillas) (orthography) In the spelling of Catalan, French, Portuguese and some other languages, a mark ⟨¸⟩ sometimes placed under the letter c to indicate that it is pronounced /s/ rather than /k/, as in Catalan força, French menaçant, and Portuguese almoço, and also used in various other languages to change the sounds of other letters. Synonyms: (dated) cedille, cédille ==== Usage notes ==== Sometimes retained in words which have been adopted into English, specifically from French, such as facade/façade. ==== Translations ==== === See also === ç ogonek === Anagrams === cleidal == Indonesian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from Spanish cedilla. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /t͡ʃe.dɪl.la/ Rhymes: -la Hyphenation: ce‧dil‧la === Noun === cedilla (plural cedilla-cedilla) (orthography) cedilla === Further reading === “cedilla”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Spanish == === Etymology === From Old Spanish ceda (“letter Z”) +‎ -illa (diminutive suffix); cognate with modern Spanish zeta. === Pronunciation === Syllabification: ce‧di‧lla === Noun === cedilla f (plural cedillas) name of the letter ç (orthography) cedilla ==== Descendants ==== === Further reading === “cedilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025