Digamma
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/ΣΤ. When used as a letter, it has the shape of an F (hence its name) 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, οινος, was used in the meter where a word starting with a consonant should have been placed. Further evidence coupled with cognate-analysis shows that οινος should be . Letters that arose from Digamma include the Roman F. Digamma—like Y—derives from the Semitic letter waw (Hebrew ו, Arabic ﻭ, which both have the numerical value of 6, as well).
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