digamma

American  

[dahy-gam-uh] / daɪˈgæm ə /

noun

1. a letter of the early Greek alphabet that generally fell into disuse in Attic Greek before the classical period and that represented a sound similar to English w.

---

digamma British  

/ daɪˈɡæmə /

noun

1. a letter of the Greek alphabet ( ) that became obsolete before the classical period of the language. It represented a semivowel like English W and was used as a numeral in later stages of written Greek, and passed into the Roman alphabet as F

---

Other Word Forms

• digammated adjective

Etymology

Origin of digamma

1545–55; < Latin < Greek dígamma, equivalent to di- di- ¹ + gámma gamma; from its resemblance to two gammas placed one over the other, similar to Roman French, which is a descendant of digamma

Example Sentences

So too the digamma is called “Aeolic” by grammarians, and is found on Aeolic and Doric inscriptions.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various

The loss of the Greek digamma is a well-known instance.

From The Iroquois Book of Rites by Hale, Horatio

Although the digamma escapes our salt, somewhere he lurks on the lonely mountains.

From Chimney-Pot Papers by Endell, Fritz August Gottfried

Among these musty memorial shelves, if anywhere, it would seem that the dusty padding feet of the lost digamma might be heard.

From Chimney-Pot Papers by Endell, Fritz August Gottfried

It resembled our letter F, and hence was called digamma, that is, double Γ. It appears to have had the force of f or v.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 1: Deposition to Eberswalde by Various