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Y
Y, y, a Greek letter introduced at a late period for words borrowed from the Greek, the place of the Greek Υ being previously filled by U (i. e. V, which graphically originated from Υ; v. the letters U and V). Thus, according to the express testimony of Cicero (Or. 48, 160), Ennius always wrote Burrus for Pyrrhus, and Bruges for Phryges; and so the words which were identical in Greek and Latin in the oldest period of the language have either preserved u where the Greek has υ, as bucina and βυκάνη, cubus and κύβος, fuga and φυγή, mus and μῦς et saep.; or this u has given place to i, as in lacrima, formerly lacruma, = δάκρυμα. Sometimes, also, o took the place of the υ; cf. mola and μύλη, sorex and ὕραξ, folium and φύλλον, and, shortening a long vowel, ancŏra and ἄγκυρα, like lacrĭma and δάκρῦμα. In Cicero's time y seems to have been already in use; but its application was restricted to foreign words, and hence the spellings Sylla, Tybris, pyrum, satyra, etc., are to be rejected.

ShortDef

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Headword:
Y
Headword (normalized):
y
Headword (normalized/stripped):
y
Intro Text:
Y, y, a Greek letter introduced at a late period for words borrowed from the Greek, the place of the Greek Υ being previously filled by U (i. e. V, which graphically originated from Υ; v. the letters U and V). Thus, according to the express testimony of Cicero (Or. 48, 160), Ennius always wrote Burrus for Pyrrhus, and Bruges for Phryges; and so the words which were identical in Greek and Latin in the oldest period of the language have either preserved u where the Greek has υ, as bucina and βυκάνη, cubus and κύβος, fuga and φυγή, mus and μῦς et saep.; or this u has given place to i, as in lacrima, formerly lacruma, = δάκρυμα. Sometimes, also, o took the place of the υ; cf. mola and μύλη, sorex and ὕραξ, folium and φύλλον, and, shortening a long vowel, ancŏra and ἄγκυρα, like lacrĭma and δάκρῦμα. In Cicero's time y seems to have been already in use; but its application was restricted to foreign words, and hence the spellings Sylla, Tybris, pyrum, satyra, etc., are to be rejected.
IDX:
51545
URN:
urn:cite2:scaife-viewer:dictionary-entries.atlas_v1:lat.ls.perseus-eng2-n51504
Key:
Y

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Citations (From Models)

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Data

{
  "content": "Y, y, a Greek letter introduced at a late period for words borrowed from the Greek, the place of the Greek Υ being previously filled by U (i. e. V, which graphically originated from Υ; v. the letters U and V). Thus, according to the express testimony of Cicero (Or. 48, 160), Ennius always wrote Burrus for Pyrrhus, and Bruges for Phryges; and so the words which were identical in Greek and Latin in the oldest period of the language have either preserved u where the Greek has υ, as bucina and βυκάνη, cubus and κύβος, fuga and φυγή, mus and μῦς et saep.; or this u has given place to i, as in lacrima, formerly lacruma, = δάκρυμα. Sometimes, also, o took the place of the υ; cf. mola and μύλη, sorex and ὕραξ, folium and φύλλον, and, shortening a long vowel, ancŏra and ἄγκυρα, like lacrĭma and δάκρῦμα. In Cicero's time y seems to have been already in use; but its application was restricted to foreign words, and hence the spellings Sylla, Tybris, pyrum, satyra, etc., are to be rejected. \n",
  "key": "Y",
  "type": "main"
}