◌̔
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See also: ʽ
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From a small version of the letter heta (Ͱ (H)) written over the letter as a diacritical mark.
Diacritical mark
◌̔
- A diacritical mark of the Greek script, called δασεῖα (daseîa, “rough”) in Ancient Greek, and found on ἁ (ha), ἑ (he), ἡ (hē), ἱ (hi), ὁ (ho), ῥ (rh), ὑ (hu) and ὡ (hō). It is also known by its Latin name spīritus asper or the English name rough breathing. It was originally used to indicate the presence of the sound /h/ before a vowel or /r/ but continued to be used even after /h/ had disappeared from the language.