In Spanish, what is the specific name for the diacritic mark used over the letter 'n' to indicate a palatal nasal sound?
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Virgulilla
The virgulilla originated in medieval Spanish manuscripts as a shorthand used by scribes to represent a double 'n' to save space on expensive parchment. While commonly called a tilde in English, its technical name comes from the Latin word for 'little twig.' This distinct mark is what officially transformed the 'n' into the separate letter 'ñ' in the Spanish alphabet.