Digamma

/daɪˈɡæmə/ noun

Definition

An obsolete letter of the ancient Greek alphabet (Ϝ) that looked like two gammas placed together and represented a 'w' sound.

Etymology

From di- (two) + gamma (Greek letter Γ). The name literally means 'double gamma' because the letter resembled two gammas joined. It disappeared from Greek by the classical period.

Kelly Says

The digamma mysteriously vanished from Greek around 700 BC, but ancient texts still showed its ghost—scholars found it in early poems, revealing how spoken language changed before writing caught up.

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