νῦ
καλῶς δρῶν ἐξαμαρτεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ νικᾶν κακῶς → I would prefer to fail with honor than to win by evil | I prefer to fail by acting rightly rather than win by acting wrongly | Better fail by doing right, than win by doing wrong (Sophocles, Philoctetes 95)
English (LSJ)
τό, indecl., the letter ν, Achae. 33.3, Pl. Cra. 414c, IG 2.4321.21 (iv BC), BCH 29.483 (Delos), BGU 153.16 (ii AD). (Cf. Hebr. nūn.)
French (Bailly abrégé)
(τό) :
la lettre nu (Ν).
Russian (Dvoretsky)
νῦ: τό indecl. ню (название греч. буквы Ν, ν).
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: n.
Meaning: indecl. name of a letter (Achae. Trag., Pl., inscr., pap.).
Origin: LW [a loanword which is (probably) not of Pre-Greek origin] Sem.
Etymology: From Semit., cf. Hebr. nūn; cf Schwyzer 140.
Middle Liddell
I. Ν, ν, νῦ, τό, indecl., thirteenth letter of Greek alphabet; as numeral, ν41 = 50, but 'ν = 50, 000. ν is the dental or palatal liquid, corresponding with the mute δ. Dialectic changes,
1. doric, ν represents λ, v. Λ λ. 2.
2. attic and doric for μ, v. Μ μ. II. 2.
II. Euphonic changes:
1. into γ before the palatals γ κ χ, and before ξ, as ἔγγονος ἔγκαιρος ἐγχώριος ἐγξέω etc.
2. into μ before the labials β π φ, and before ψ, as σύμβιος συμπότης συμφυής ἔμψυχος; likewise before μ. as ἐμμανής.
3. into λ, before λ, as ἐλλείπω συλλαμβάνω.
4. into ρ before ρ, as συρράπτω; in compds. of ἐν ν sometimes remains, as ἔνρυθμος.
5. into ς before ς, as σύσσιτος πάσσοφος.
III. the so-called νῦ ἐφελκυστικόν is found with dat. pl. in σι, as ἀνδράσιν; 3rd pl. of verbs in σι, as εἰλήφασιν; 3rd sg.in -ε, -ι, as ἔκτανεν δείκνυσιν: the local termin. -σι, as Ἀθήνῃσι Ὀλυμπίασι; the Epic. termin. φι, as ὀστεόφιν; the numeral εἴκοσι; the Advs. νόσφι, πέρυσι; the enclit. Particles κέ and νύ. This ν was mostly used to avoid a hiatus where a vowel follows.
Frisk Etymology German
νῦ: {nũ}
Grammar: n.
Meaning: indekl. Buchstabenname (Achae. Trag., Pl., Inschr. u. Pap.).
Etymology: Aus dem Semit., vgl. hebr. nūn; dazu Schwyzer 140.
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