Delta (letter)

Delta (/ˈdɛltə/ ^ⓘ DEL-tə;^[1] uppercase Δ, lowercase δ; Greek: δέλτα, délta, [ˈðelta])^[2] is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of four. It was derived from the Phoenician letter dalet 𐤃.^[3] Letters that come from delta include the Latin D and the Cyrillic Д.

A river delta (originally, the delta of the Nile River) is named so because its shape approximates the triangular uppercase letter delta. Contrary to a popular legend,^[vague] this use of the word delta was not coined by Herodotus.^[4]

^ "delta". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
^ "Dictionary of Standard Modern greek". Centre for the Greek Language.
^ "Definition of DELTA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
^ Celoria, Francis (1966). "Delta as a geographical concept in Greek literature". Isis. 57 (3): 385–388. doi:10.1086/350146. JSTOR 228368. S2CID 143811840.

[1] "delta". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)

[2] "Dictionary of Standard Modern greek". Centre for the Greek Language.

[3] "Definition of DELTA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.

[4] Celoria, Francis (1966). "Delta as a geographical concept in Greek literature". Isis. 57 (3): 385–388. doi:10.1086/350146. JSTOR 228368. S2CID 143811840.

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