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sampi

File:Sampi.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as san

Sampi (modern: ϡ; ancient shapes: Ͳ, x16px|Ͳ|class=skin-invert-image) is an archaic letter of the Greek alphabet. It was used as an addition to the classical 24-letter alphabet in some eastern Ionic dialects of ancient Greek in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, to denote some type of a sibilant sound, probably or , and was abandoned when the sound disappeared from Greek.

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Sampi is an archaic letter that was added to the Greek alphabet in some eastern Ionic dialects during the 6th and 5th centuries BC to represent a sibilant sound that no longer exists in Greek. The letter was eventually abandoned once this sound fell out of use, which is why it doesn't appear in the modern Greek alphabet.

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Wikidata facts

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Sampi uc lc 2.svg
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Sampi (letter)
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Article

11 sections
Contents
  • Alphabetic sampi
  • Pamphylian sampi
  • Numeric sampi
  • Glyph development
  • Origins
  • In other scripts
  • Modern use
  • Typography
  • Computer encoding
  • References
  • Sources

Sampi (modern: ϡ; ancient shapes: Ͳ, x16px|Ͳ|class=skin-invert-image) is an archaic letter of the Greek alphabet. It was used as an addition to the classical 24-letter alphabet in some eastern Ionic dialects of ancient Greek in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, to denote some type of a sibilant sound, probably or , and was abandoned when the sound disappeared from Greek.

It later remained in use as a numeral symbol for 900 in the alphabetic ("Milesian") system of Greek numerals. Its modern shape, which resembles a π inclining to the right with a longish curved cross-stroke, developed during its use as a numeric symbol in minuscule handwriting of the Byzantine era.

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