Bible Lexicons

Ω, ὦ, τό,

twenty-fourth and last letter of the Ionic alphabet, ἀπὸ ἄλφα ἕως.ω. Gloss. iii 283 (ix A. D.); thence used as a symbol of the end, the last, ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ (not τὸ ὦ μέγα) Revelation 1:8, al.: —

as a numeral ώ = 800, but ωνυμ = 800, 000. The epichoric Att. and other alphabets of the Inscrr. had used o in differently to represent the sounds of the later ο and ω: Ω is a differentiated form of ο, and, though usu. = ω, was used in the Ionic islands of Paros, Thasos, and Siphnos with the value ο, while O or O represented the sound ω. The name of the letter was τὸ ὦ (perispom. acc. to Hellad. ap. Phot. p.530B.), cf. Achae. 33.3, Pl. Phdr. 244d, Cra. 420b, Tht. 203c: after the loss of the distinction betw. long and short vowels, ο and ω had the same pronunciation; they begin to be confused in Papyri of iii B. C. (οἰκωνόμου PRLaws 50.22 (iii B. C.)), but the name ω μέγα appears first in later Greek, Theognost. Can. 13; κατὰ σχῆμα διπλοῦ ω ἤτοι μεγάλου Eust. 869.26; οἱ δὲ περὶ Ἀρίσταρχον αὐτὸ τὸ ποτήριον ω μέγα εἶναί φασιν, ὁποῖν ἴσως τὸ κατὰ δύο ῡ ἐσχηματισμένον Id. 869.29; ἐν τῷ ω μεγάλῳ under omega (in a lexicon), Id. 1828.49: διὰ τοῠ ω μεγάλου Hdn. Epim. 208.