Digamma

:This article is about the Greek letter; for the mathematical function, see digamma function.

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Digamma, or Wau, (upper case , lower case ) is an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 6. When used as a numeral, digamma is written using the stigma (, ), a ligature of sigma and tau, or as the sequence στ or ΣΤ. When used as a letter, it has the shape of an F (hence its name, "double gamma") and the value of a /w/. Writing of digamma is preserved in many dialectal Greek inscriptions. In Ionic it had probably disappeared before Homer's epics were written down (7th century BC), but the former presence of a digamma can be detected in many cases because its omission left the meter defective. Famously, the homeric name of Troy, Ilion, shows traces of an initial digamma, *Wilion, corresponding to the Hittite name of the city, Wilusa. Also, the word for wine, , was used in the meter where a word starting with a consonant should have been placed. Further evidence coupled with cognate-analysis shows that should be .

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Letters that arose from Digamma include the Roman F. Digamma, like Y, derives from the Semitic letter vav, which also has the numerical value 6.

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Greek alphabet: The Greek language is written in the Greek alphabet, developed in classical times (ca 9th century B.C.) and passed down to the present. It is the world's oldest alphabet in use today. In ancient Greece its letters were also used to represent numbers, called Greek numerals, analogous to Roman numeral...

Greek numerals: Greek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet. In modern Greece, they are still in use for ordinal numbers, and in much the same situations as Roman numerals are in the West; for ordinary numbers, Arabic numerals are used....

Ligature: The word ligature can mean more than one thing. Its primary sense is of something that ties, binds or constricts. The word can be used in this generic sense or more specifically in certain contexts....