digamma

[ dahy-gam-uh ]

/ daɪˈgæm ə /

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noun

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of digamma

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

OTHER WORDS FROM digamma

di·gam·mat·ed

[dahy-gam-ey-tid], /daɪˈgæm eɪ tɪd/, adjective

Words nearby digamma

difluence, diflunisal, difunctional, dig, Digambara, digamma, digamy, digastric, Digby, Digby chicken, dig down

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use digamma in a sentence

If V or F—the digamma is here admissible, then we arrive very near our own word Fish.
Fishes, Flowers, and Fire as Elements and Deities in the Phallic Faiths and Worship of the Ancient Religions of Greece, Babylon,|Anonymous
Further, the insignificance of Triptolemus and Eumolpus point to considerable antiquity, and the digamma is still active.
Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica|Homer and Hesiod
The figure of the letter F is the same as that of the ancient Greek digamma, which it also closely resembles in power.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Although the digamma escapes our salt, somewhere he lurks on the lonely mountains.
Chimney-Pot Papers|Charles S. Brooks

But we are expressly told that it had the force and sound of the Greek digamma.
The Roman Pronunciation of Latin|Frances E. Lord

British Dictionary definitions for digamma

digamma

/ (daɪˈɡæmə) /

noun

a letter of the Greek alphabet (Ϝ) 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

Word Origin for digamma

C17: via Latin from Greek, from di- 1 + gamma; from its shape, which suggests one gamma upon another

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012