σ Σ, ς, σίγμα, τό, indecl., a semi-vowel, eighteenth letter of the Gr. Alph.: as numeral σʹ 200, but ͵σ 200, 000. beside the form Σ, it was written as a semicircle Ϲ. In the written character, final ϲ became ς from which must be distinguished the character ϛʹ 6. There was also a Doric name σάν [ᾰ] (cf. σαμ-φόρας) , which appeared at the end of the alphabet as σαμπί or σαμπῖ, ϡ, 900. dialectic and other changes: Aeolic and Ionic into δ, as ὀδμή ἴδμεν for ὀσμή ἴσμεν. in Aeolic and Doric, and in Poets, ς was often doubled, as ὅσσος μέσσος ὀπίσσω for ὅσος μέσος ὀπίσω, and in fut. and aor. 1 forms, as δαμάσσω ὀλέσσω, etc. for δαμάσω ὀλέσω, etc. ς sometimes passed into πτ or vice versa, as πέσσω and πέπτω, ὄψομαι (*ὄπτω) and ὄσσομαι, ἐνίσσω and ἐνίπτω. Doric into ξ, in fut. and aor1 of Verbs, with their deriv. Nouns, as ἐργάξομαι χείριξις for ἐργάσομαι χείρισις:—so in Ionic, διξός τριξός for δισσός τρισσός; and in old Attic, the prep. σύν, with all its Compds., was written ξύν. Attic ς and σς sometimes passed into ψ, cf. Ψ ψ III. in Aeolic, as in Lat., ς represents the aspirate, Σαλμυδησσός Ἁλμυδησσός, σῦς (Lat. sus) ὗς, ἅλς sal, ἕξ sex, ἑπτά septem, ἕρπω serpo, ὕλη sylva. prefixed to words beginning with μ and τ, μύραινα σμύραινα, μικρός σμικρός, τέγος στέγω, Lat. tego; more rarely before κ and φ, σκίδναμαι κίδναμαι, σφάλλω fallo, σφενδόνη funda. ς was inserted in the middle of words before θ, esp. by Poets in the 1 pers. pl. pass. and mid., as τυπτόμεσθα for τυπτόμεθα; so ὄπισθεν for ὄπιθεν. conversely, the Lacon. used to throw out ς between two vowels, writing Μῶα for Μοῦσα. ς changed into ρ, Doric and Attic, when another ρ goes before, as ἄρρην for ἄρσην, θάρρος for θάρσος. Lacon., ς is substituted for θ, as σιός Ἀσάνα παρσένος for θεός Ἀθήνη παρθένος. Doric, σδ for ζ, as μασδός τράπεσδα for μαζός τράπεζα. ς is appended to οὕτω ἄχρι μέχρι before a vowel.