Y

Y, y, a Greek letter introduced at a late period for words borrowed from the Greek, the place of the Greek Υ being previously filled by U (i. e. V, which graphically originated from Υ; v. the letters U and V). Thus, according to the express testimony of Cicero (Or. 48, 160), Ennius always wrote Burrus for Pyrrhus, and Bruges for Phryges; and so the words which were identical in Greek and Latin in the oldest period of the language have either preserved

• u where the Greek has υ, as bucina and βυκάνη, cubus and κύβος, fuga and φυγή, mus and μῦς et saep.; or this u has given place to i, as in lacrima, formerly lacruma, = δάκρυμα. Sometimes, also, o took the place of the υ; cf. mola and μύλη, sorex and ὕραξ, folium and φύλλον, and, shortening a long vowel, ancŏra and ἄγκυρα, like lacrĭma and δάκρῦμα. In Cicero's time y seems to have been already in use; but its application was restricted to foreign words, and hence the spellings Sylla, Tybris, pyrum, satyra, etc., are to be rejected.

Y, y, ein griechischer Buchstabe, der erst später für die griech. Lehnwörter in die lateinische Schrift kam, da früher das griech. Υ durch U, u (d.i. V, graphisch aus Y entstanden) ersetzt wurde, zB. Burrus statt Pyrrhus, fuga aus φυγή. Später trat auch i ein, zB. lacrima st. lacruma (aus δάκρυμα), u. o, zB. mola aus μύλη, ancora aus ἄγκυρα. In Ciceros Zeitalter scheint das Y bereits bei den Römern im Gebrauch gewesen zu sein (s. Cic. or. 160).

Y [CL], Y (letter of Roman alphabet, also as upsilon, twentieth letter of Greek alphabet); b (as Greek numeral, = 400). ‘gula’ dicendum, non ‘gyla’, quia Y litteram nulla vox nostra asciscit Bede Orth. 26; humanitas quasi in bivium separatur. unde a Pictagora per Y litteram significatur Bern. Comm. Aen. 64; secundum Grecos pronunciandum est gymnasius et gymnosophista per ‘G’ videlicet et ‘Y’ literam Samiam Gros. Hexaem. proem. 49; aliud habent i quod debiliter sonat et cum hyatu quod vocant ipsilo, hoc est y tenue, quia tenuem habet sonum; et nos vocamus illum y grecum et utimur pro eo hac figura y, u Bacon Gram. Gk. 5; quandoque i stat immediate ante vel post m, n, vel u, potest mutari in y, ut legibilior sit, vel stare in sua natura Orthog. Gall. S17; in versibus Sibille qui incipit [sic]: judicii signum [quod] tellus sudore madescet y littera invenitur et exprimitur in quinque verbis: ‘Jhesus Christus Dei Filius Salvator’ W. Worc. Itin. 248.  b Y cccc Bede TR 1; oy, y, Y, cccc Runica Manuscripta 351.