Ω

Ω, ὦ, τό,

• twenty-fourth and last letter of the Ionic alphabet, ἀπὸ ἄλφα ἕως .ω. Gloss. iii 283 (ix A. D.); thence used as a symbol of the end, the last, ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ (not τὸ ὦ μέγα) Apoc. 1.8, al.:—as a numeral ωʹ = 800, but ͵ω = 800,000. The epichoric Att. and other alphabets of the Inscrr. had used o in differently to represent the sounds of the later ο and ω: Ω is a differentiated form of ο, and, though usu. = ω, was used in the Ionic islands of Paros, Thasos, and Siphnos with the value ο, while O or O represented the sound ω. The name of the letter was τὸ ὦ (perispom. acc. to Hellad. ap. Phot. p.530 B.), cf. Achae. 33.3, Pl. Phdr. 244d, Cra. 420b, Tht. 203c: after the loss of the distinction betw. long and short vowels, ο and ω had the same pronunciation; they begin to be confused in Papyri of iii B. C. (οἰκωνόμου PRev.Laws 50.22 (iii B. C.)), but the name ω μέγα appears first in later Greek, Theognost. Can. 13; κατὰ σχῆμα διπλοῦ ω̄ ἤτοι μεγάλου Eust. 869.26; οἱ δὲ περὶ Ἀρίσταρχον αὐτὸ τὸ ποτήριον ω̄ μέγα εἶναί φασιν, ὁποῖον ἴσως τὸ κατὰ δύο ῡ ἐσχηματισμένον Id. 869.29; ἐν τῷ ω̄ μεγάλῳ under omega (in a lexicon), Id. 1828.49: διὰ τοῦ ω̄ μεγάλου Hdn. Epim. 208.

Ω, ω, ὦ μέγα, zum Unterschiede von ὂ μικρόν, vgl. Heindorf zu Plat. Crat. 416b, vier und zwanzigster Buchstabe im griechischen Alphabet, als Zahlzeichen ωʹ = 800, u. ͵ω = 800 000. Das Schriftzeichen für diesen Laut soll Simonides erfunden haben.
Bei den Ioniern tritt es zuweilen für α ein, ὤνθρωπος, ὤριστος statt ἄνθρωπος, ἄριστος, s. Koen Greg.Cor. p. 415, 421, u. häufiger für αυ, θῶμα, κῶμα, τρῶμα, ὤριον für θαῦμα, καῦμα, τραῦμα, αὔριον, vgl. Greg.Cor. p. 654, 698.
Bei den Aeolern u. Doriern steht es oft für ου, ὦας, βωλή, ὠρανός, μῶσα, κῶρος für αὖας, βουλή, οὐρανός, μοῦσα, κοῦρος, so wie in der 2. Deklination im gen. sing. und acc. plur. ω u. ως für ου u. ους stehen, vgl. Koen Greg.Cor. p. 191, 246. – Dagegen setzen die Dorier ᾱ für ω, z.B. πρᾶτος, θεαρός für πρῶτος, θεωρός, u. so bes. im gen. plur. der ersten Dekl. ᾶν für ῶν, s. Koen Greg.Cor. p. 196.
Bei den Aeolern steht zuweilen ο dafür, ὅρα, ὀτειλή für ὥρα, ὠτειλή, s. Koen a.a.O. 615. Auch υ, z.B. χελύνη, τέκτυν für χελώνη, τέκτων, s. Bast zu Greg.Cor. p. 586.

Ω

• • • 1Ω, ω, ὦ μέγα, twenty-fourth letter of the Gr. alphabet: —as a numeral ωʹ 800, but ͵ω = 800, 000. The name of ὦ μέγα, great or long ο, was given at a later period to distinguish it from ὂ μικρόν little or short ο· but the form Ω was not adopted at Athens till the Archonship of Euclides (B. C. 403); v. sub E, H. Changes of ω, esp. in the dialects:
    • 1Ionic sometimes for α, as ὤνθρωπος ὤριστος for ἄνθρωπος ἄριστος.
    • 2Ionic also for αυ, as θῶμα τρῶμα for θαῦμα τραῦμα:—this is also Doric, ὦλαξ for αὖλαξ.
    • 3Aeolic and Doric ω for ου, as ὠρανός Μῶσα κῶρος λιπῶσα for οὐρανός Μοῦσα κοῦρος λιποῦσα; so, ου and ους in gen. sg. and acc. pl. of 2nd decl. pass into ω and ως.
    • 4Doric, ω becomes ᾱ, as πρῶτος πρώτιστος θεωρός become πρᾶτος πράτιστος θεᾱρός; so gen. pl. of 1st dec. -ῶν becomes -ᾶν.
    • 5Aeol. sometimes also υ, as χελύνη for χελώνη.