F

F, sixth letter of the alphabet. The Greek letter corresponding to it, digamma, which probably represented a sound like w, disappeared before the classical period. In Western alphabets f has usually represented the voiceless labiodental fricative, as in the English fast. In musical notation F stands for a note in the scale. In chemistry F is the symbol of the element fluorine.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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