σῖγμα

See also: σίγμα

Ancient Greek

previous     letter   ῥῶ		following     letter   ταῦ
Σ σ ς   –   English: sigma

Alternative forms

• σῑ́γμᾰ (sī́gma)

Etymology

Borrowing from Phoenician 𐤔 (š‬ /⁠šīn⁠/) doubtful at best. Name agreed to be from σῐ́ζω (sízō, “to hiss”) +‎ -μᾰ (-ma, nominal suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /sîːŋ.ma/ → /ˈsiɣ.ma/ → /ˈsiɣ.ma/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /sîːŋ.ma/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈsiɡ.ma/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈsiɣ.ma/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈsiɣ.ma/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈsiɣ.ma/

Noun

σῖγμᾰ • (sîgma) n (genitive σῑ́γμᾰτος); third declension

1. sigma, the name for the eighteenth letter Σ, σ of the Ancient Greek alphabet.

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ σῖγμᾰ; τοῦ σῑ́γμᾰτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ σῖγμᾰ tò sîgma	τὼ σῑ́γμᾰτε tṑ sī́gmate	τᾰ̀ σῑ́γμᾰτᾰ tà sī́gmata
Genitive	τοῦ σῑ́γμᾰτος toû sī́gmatos	τοῖν σῑγμᾰ́τοιν toîn sīgmátoin	τῶν σῑγμᾰ́των tôn sīgmátōn
Dative	τῷ σῑ́γμᾰτῐ tôi sī́gmati	τοῖν σῑγμᾰ́τοιν toîn sīgmátoin	τοῖς σῑ́γμᾰσῐ / σῑ́γμᾰσῐν toîs sī́gmasi(n)
Accusative	τὸ σῖγμᾰ tò sîgma	τὼ σῑ́γμᾰτε tṑ sī́gmate	τᾰ̀ σῑ́γμᾰτᾰ tà sī́gmata
Vocative	σῖγμᾰ sîgma	σῑ́γμᾰτε sī́gmate	σῑ́γμᾰτᾰ sī́gmata
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓ντῐ́σῑγμᾰ (antísīgma)
• ᾰ̓́σῑγμος (ásīgmos)
• σῑγμᾰτῐ́ζω (sīgmatízō)
• σῑγμοειδής (sīgmoeidḗs)
• φῐλοσῑ́γμᾰτος (philosī́gmatos)

 

Related terms

• ἐπῐ́σῑγμᾰ (epísīgma)
• σῑγμός (sīgmós)

Descendants

• → English: sigma
• Greek: σίγμα (sígma)

References

• “σίγμα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press