sigma

English

Ancient Greek Alphabet

← rho		→ tau
Σ σ ς Ancient Greek: σίγμα
Wikipedia article on sigma

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma), σίγμα (sígma), probably from the root sig- as seen in σίζω (sízō) (< sig-yo "to hiss") + -μα (-ma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪɡmə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡmə

Noun

sigma (plural sigmas or sigmata)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets, the twentieth letter of Old and Ancient.
   • "Herodotus: On The Customs of the Persians", I.139:

     Their names, which are expressive of some bodily or mental excellence, all end with the same letter---the letter which is called San by the Dorians, and Sigma by the Ionians.

2. (mathematics) The symbol Σ, used to indicate summation of a set or series.
3. (statistics) The symbol σ, used to indicate one standard deviation from the mean, particularly in a normal distribution.
   • 2011, Paul Rincon, (bbc.co.uk) LHC: Higgs boson 'may have been glimpsed'

     None of the spikes seen by the experiments is at much more than the "two sigma" level of certainty.
     A level of "five sigma" is required to claim a discovery, meaning there is less than a one in a million chance the data spike is down to a statistical fluke.

4. Clipping of sigma male.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Magis., agism, migas

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sigma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Noun

sigma f (plural sigmes)

1. Sigma; the Greek letter Σ (lowercase σ or ς)
2. (anatomy) sigmoid colon

Derived terms

• sigmàtic
• sigmatisme

Related terms

• sigmoide

Further reading

• “sigma” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.

Czech

Noun

sigma n or f

1. sigma

Declension

when feminine:

Indeclinable when neuter.

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪx.maː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sig‧ma

Noun

sigma f (plural sigma's, diminutive sigmaatje n)

1. sigma (letter of the Greek alphabet)

Derived terms

Further reading

• sigma on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

Finnish

Etymology

< Ancient Greek σίγμα (sígma)

Finnish Wikipedia has an article on:

Sigma

Wikipedia ^fi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiɡmɑ/,
• Rhymes: -iɡmɑ
• Syllabification^(key): sig‧ma

Noun

sigma

1. sigma (Greek letter)

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “sigma”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siɡ.ma/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

sigma m (plural sigma)

1. sigma (Greek letter)

Further reading

• “sigma”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Icelandic

Noun

sigma f (genitive singular sigmu, nominative plural sigmur)

1. sigma (Greek letter)

Declension

Italian

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:

sigma

Wikipedia ^it

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma), σίγμα (sígma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiɡ.ma/
• Rhymes: -iɡma
• Hyphenation: sìg‧ma

Noun

sigma m or f (invariable)

1. sigma, specifically:
   1. the name of the Greek-script letter Σ/σ, ς
   2. (mathematics) the symbol Σ, used to indicate summation of a set or series
   3. (statistics) the symbol σ, used to indicate one standard deviation from the mean, specifically in a normal distribution

Derived terms

• sigmatismo/sigmacismo

Noun

sigma m (invariable)

1. (anatomy) sigmoid colon

Anagrams

• sgami

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

sigma

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma), from Phoenician 𐤔 (š‬ /⁠šīn⁠/).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiɡ.ma/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɡma
• Syllabification: sig‧ma

Noun

sigma f

1. sigma (Greek letter Σ, σ/ς)
2. (mathematics) sigma (symbol Σ, used to indicate summation of a set or series)

Declension

Further reading

• sigma in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

Noun

sigma m (plural sigmas)

1. sigma (name of the Greek letter Σ, σ)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma) or French sigma.

Noun

sigma m (plural sigma)

1. sigma (Greek letter)

Declension

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiɡma/
• Rhymes: -iɡma
• Syllabification: sig‧ma

Noun

sigma f (plural sigmas)

1. sigma; the Greek letter Σ, σ

Further reading

• “sigma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014