Z
Z, z, was perhaps a letter of the original Latin alphabet, since it is found in the Carmen Saliare, Varr. L. L. 7, § 26 Müll.; and in a Latin record of an Oscan law of the time of the Gracchi, C. I. L. 1, 197; but it had long disappeared, when, in Cicero's time, it again came into use, but only in transcribing Greek names, to represent the Greek Ζ, ζ, which had previously been represented, when initial, by
- s, as in Saguntum for Ζάκυνθος, Sethus, sona, etc.; and by ss when medial, as in Atticisso, badissas, etc., in Plautus. It seems to have been sounded like the Engl. z (Corss. Ausspr. 1, p. 295; but cf. Roby, Gr. 1, § 195). In late Latin writings z is very frequent in place of s, and in the words Zmyrna for Smyrna, zmaragdus for smaragdus, is found in the best MSS. In writings of the third and fourth Christian centuries z often stands for initial di before a vowel, as zaconus, zabulus, etc.; cf. the Aeolic ζά for διά.
Z, z, ein nur in Fremdwörtern vorkommender griech. Buchstabe, das Ζ (Ζητα), lat. Zēthum gen., der teils wie ds, teils wie ein scharfes s lautete, daher auch die schwankende Schreibart in Smyrna u. Zmyrna, smaragdus u. zmaragdus entstand u. Ζάκυνθος in Saguntum umgewandelt wurde.
‘z’ septimam decimam consonantem propter Graeca verba quibus consuete utuntur adsumpsere Latini
hec ‥ littera que est ‘z’, inter duas posita vocales, vim et efficaciam duarum retinet consonantium
consecrata ‥ mensa ‥ in Sabulo ‥. vel secundum alios hoc nomen ‘Zabulo’ per ‘z’ signat proprie locum
nomina ‥ pluralis numeri ‥ vocalem ‘e’ habencia in ultimis sillabis requirunt hanc litteram ‘z’, verbi graciaamez
‘z’ Greca est ultima littera
Z
as a symbol.
In Greek.—Z=ζήσας, ζήσαντι. As a numeral ζ=7; ζ=7000.
In Latin.—Z=centurio.