Dit
/dɪt/noun
A short signal in Morse code, representing a dot.
Did you know?“Dit” is an imitative technical term, designed to sound like the brief, clipped signal it names rather than descending from an ancient linguistic root.
Etymological Timeline
1830s–1840s
American English
Morse code
“A system encoding letters through short and long electrical signals.”
19th Century
English
dot
“The short element of Morse code, visually represented as a point.”
Early 20th Century
English
dit
“An informal spoken name for a short Morse signal, formed imitatively.”
20th Century
English
dit
“A standard operator’s term for the short element in Morse-code transmission.”
Modern English
English
dit
“A short Morse-code signal, contrasted with a “dah,” the long signal.”