digamma

[ dahy-gam-uh ]
/ daɪˈgæm ə /

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM digamma

di·gam·mat·ed [dahy-gam-ey-tid] /daɪˈgæm eɪ tɪd/, adjective

Words nearby digamma

dig one's own grave, dig out, dig up, dig., digambara, digamma, digamy, digastric, digastric fossa, digastric muscle, digastric triangle

Example sentences from the Web for digamma

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