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[393d] and whether the same meaning is expressed in one set of syllables or another makes no difference; and if a letter is added or subtracted, that does not matter either, so long as the essence of the thing named remains in force and is made plain in the name.

Hermogenes
What do you mean?

Socrates
Something quite simple. For instance, when we speak of the letters of the alphabet, you know, we speak their names, not merely the letters themselves, except in the case of four, ε, υ, ο, ω.1


1 In Plato's time the names epsilon, ypsilon, omicron, and omega were not yet in vogue. The names used were εἶ, , οὖ,and.

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  • Cross-references in notes to this page (1):
    • Raphael Kühner, Friedrich Blass, Ausführliche Grammatik der Griechischen Sprache, KG 1.1.1
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page (4):
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