ε
ε, the letter epsilon
ε, ἒ ψιλόν, fifth letter of the Gr. alphabet: as numeral εʹ
- = πέντε and πέμπτος, but ͵ε = 5,000:—its name was εἶ, q.v., later ἒ ψιλόν; cf. ψιλός.
epsilon, ĕ, the fifth letter. As a numeral, εʹ = 5, ε͵ = 5000.
ε
- Ε, ε, fifth letter of the Gr. alphabet: as numeral εʹ = πέντε and πέμπτος, but ͵ε 5000. The ancients called this vowel εἶ ( as they called ο, οὖ). When in the archonship of Euclides ( B. C. 403) the Athenians adopted long e (Η η) from the Samian alphabet, the Gramm. gave to short e the name of ἒ ψιλόν, i. e. ε without the aspirate, because Η had been used for the aspirate. In Ionic, ε sometimes stood for α, βέρεθρον ἔρσην τέσσερες for βάραθρον ἄρσην τέσσαρες, and in contr. Verbs in -άω, as ὁρέω φοιτέω.