macron

Etymology

The word China written in Mandarin Pinyin (blue), Tongyong Pinyin (orange), traditional Chinese characters (red), and simplified Chinese characters (green). The macron above the o in the word Zhōng indicates that it is pronounced with the first tone.

From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”) (English macro-).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: măkʹrŏn, mākʹrŏn, IPA^(key): /ˈmækɹɒn/, /ˈmeɪkɹɒn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪkɹɑn/, /ˈmækɹɑn/
• Hyphenation: ma‧cron

Noun

macron (plural macrons or macra)

1. (orthography) A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (¯) placed over any of various letters. It usually is used to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long; in Mandarin Pinyin (Chinese), it indicates the first tone, e.g., chūzūchē. [from 1900th c.]
   • 1889, Rebecca S[mith] Pollard, A Complete Manual: Pollard’s Synthetic Method of Reading and Spelling. Designed to Accompany Synthetic Readers and Spellers, New York, N.Y.: American Book Company, OCLC 18708150, page 75:

     We say such words belong to a Long family, because of the long macron hat the vowels wear. Like the other twin o's, one hat is enough for both, for these twins are always found together.

   • 1986, Peter V. Jones; Keith C. Sidwell, “Introduction”, in Reading Latin, volume 1 (Grammar, Vocabulary and Exercises), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 2, general note 1:

     All vowels are pronounced short unless marked with a ¯ (macron) over them. So observe different vowel length of ‘i ’ in, e.g., fīlia, etc. It may be helpful, but is not essential, to mark macra in your exercises.

References

• “macron” in John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors, The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN.

Further reading

• macron on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Camron, Carmon, Corman

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaː.krɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”).

Noun

macron m (plural macrons, diminutive macrontje n)

1. (orthography) macron

Etymology

From Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.kʁɔ̃/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

Noun

macron m (plural macrons)

1. macron

Etymology

From Ancient Greek

Noun

macron m (invariable)

1. macron