υ
υ, the letter upsilon
Υυ, τό, indecl.,
- twenty-third letter of the Formello abecedarium, IG 14.2420, but twentieth of the Ion. alphabet: as numeral υʹ = 400, but ͵υ = 400,000. It is called τὸ ὖ by Pl. Cra. 393d, Callias ap. Ath. 10.453d (prob., the line ends ταῦ, <τὸ> ὖ), IG 2(2).2783.4 (iv B. C.), Hellad. ap. Phot. Bibl. p.530 B.; τό τʼ ὖ or τό θʼ ὗ might be read in Achae. 33.3 for τοῦ ῡ codd. Ath.; later τὸ υ ψιλόν or τὸ ψιλὸν υ (as name of the first letter of ὕαλος, υἱός, etc.), Theognost. Can. 18, Sch. Ar. Pl. 896, Ps. Hdn. Epim. 116, 137, al.: so named to distinguish it from ἡ ο͡ι δίφθογγος, υ and οι being pronounced alike in late Gr.; ὗ is aspirated in AP 9.385.20 (Steph.Gramm.), 11.67.1 (Myrin.) cod.Pal.; the Coptic name he (cf. Arm. hiun) may indicate that the early name was ὗ, which seems also to be implied by Serv. ad Verg. A. 1.744: alii dicunt Hyadas dictas vel ab Y littera, vel ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑός, cf. Sch. Il. 18.486: the sign Y represents hy on coins of P. Plautius Hypsaeus (58 B.C.), which are inscribed Ypsae, BMus.Cat.Republ.Coins, Plate 48 Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, but Hupsae, Nos. 13, 14, Plate 123 Nos.7,8,9.
υ
- Υ, υ, ὐψιλόντό, indecl., twentieth letter of Gr. alphabet: as numeral υʹ 400, but ͵υ 400, 000. Called ὑψιλόν, because the orig. sound was broad, like ου, and afterwards was thin like French u. The Gr. υ, like Lat. v, was originally both a vowel (u) and a semi-vowel (v), v. infr. II.
- IInterchanges of υ with other vowels,
- 1Aeolic for ο, as ὄνυμα στύμα ὔρνις for ὄνομα στόμα ὄρνις; also πίσυρες for πέτορες (τέσσαρες) , cf. νύξ, Lat. nox.
- 2Aeolic, the diphth. ου became οι, Μοῖσα for Μοῦσα, λέγοισα for λέγουσα.
- 3ῡ sometimes replaces οι, as κοινός ξυνός, κοίρανος κύριος.
- 4Boeot. ῡ for ω, as χελύνη for χελώνη.
- IIυ as a semivowel represented vau (v) , the digamma, sometimes it formed the diphth. αυ, as αὐέρυσαν for ἀνϝέρυσαν (v. αὐερύω), αὐίαχοι for ἀνϝίαχοι, αὐάτα for αϝάτα (ἄτη), καλαῦροψ for καλάϝροψ, ταλαύρινος for ταλάϝρινος, ταναύποδες for ταναϝόποδες; sometimes the dipth. ευ, as εὔαδεν for ἔϝαδεν.