S

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S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the English alphabet, following R and preceding T. As a consonant, ‘S’ is articulated with a hissing sound created by the airflow through a slightly constricted vocal tract, heard in words like ‘snake’ or ‘Sun.’ Beyond its role in forming words, ‘S’ holds significance in various domains. In chemistry, ‘S’ represents the symbol for sulfur, a chemical element with diverse industrial and biological applications, from fertilizer production to pharmaceuticals. ‘S’ is integral in astronomy, where it is used to denote various stellar classifications, such as S-type stars, based on their spectral characteristics. In everyday language, ‘S’ is prevalent in idiomatic expressions such as “silent as a mouse” or “smooth as silk,” illustrating its versatility and impact on communication.

The letter ‘S’ has a rich history that traces back to ancient alphabets. In Greek, it originated as the letter sigma (Σ, σ), which symbolized the /s/ sound. This symbol was later adopted by the Romans and eventually evolved into the modern ‘S’ shape. Interestingly, in the ancient Phoenician alphabet, the precursor to Greek, the symbol for ‘S’ was šîn, which resembled a W shape. This symbol eventually transformed into the Greek sigma. In the ancient Aramaic alphabet, a sister script to Phoenician, the symbol for ‘S’ was samekh (ס), which likely represented a different phoneme, possibly /ʃ/. This distinction between /s/ and /ʃ/ sounds is also seen in the writings of Herodotus, where he used a separate symbol, “san” (Ϻ), to represent the /ʃ/ sound. Over time, the value /s/ of Greek sigma was maintained, while san represented a separate phoneme, most likely /ʃ/. This evolution highlights the complex interplay between ancient scripts and languages that eventually gave rise to the modern letter ‘S’ as we know it today.

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External links

• S – Wikipedia
• s – Wiktionary
• S Definition & Usage Examples – Dictionary.com
• S | Letter, History, Etymology, & Pronunciation – Britannica
• S Definition & Meaning – YourDictionary
• S definition and meaning – Collins Dictionary
• S – Definition, Meaning & Synonyms – Vocabulary.com
• S, s | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary