M

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M
M m
Latin letter M.svg
Usage
Writing system Latin script
Type Alphabetic and Logographic
Language of origin Latin language
Sound values
In  Unicode U+004D, U+006D
Alphabetical position13
History
Development
M
Time periodc. 700 BCE to present
Descendants
Sisters
Other
Associated graphs m(x)
Associated numbers1000
Writing directionLeft-to-right
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

M, or m, is the thirteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of several western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is em (pronounced /ˈɛm/ ⓘ ), plural ems. [1]

Contents

History

Egyptian hieroglyph
"n"		Phoenician
Mem 		Western Greek
Mu 		Etruscan
M		Latin
M
M
 PhoenicianM-01.svg Greek Mu 04.svg EtruscanM-01.svg Capitalis monumentalis M.SVG

The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem via the Greek Mu (Μ, μ). Semitic Mem is most likely derived from a "Proto-Sinaitic" (Bronze Age) adoption of the "water" ideogram in Egyptian writing. The Egyptian sign had the acrophonic value /n/, from the Egyptian word for "water", nt; the adoption as the Semitic letter for /m/ was presumably also on acrophonic grounds, from the Semitic word for "water", *mā(y)- . [2]

Use in writing systems

Pronunciation of ⟨m⟩ by language
OrthographyPhonemes
Standard Chinese (Pinyin)/m/
English /m/, silent
French /m/
German /m/
Portuguese /m/, silent
Spanish /m/
Turkish /m/

English

In English, ⟨m⟩ represents the voiced bilabial nasal /m/.

The Oxford English Dictionary (first edition) says that ⟨m⟩ is sometimes a vowel, such as in words like spasm and in the suffix -ism. In modern terminology, this is described as a syllabic consonant (IPA: /m̩/).

The digraph, "mn," when used in the beginning of words, such as mnemonic, is pronounced as /n/. This digraph is the only instance where the letter ⟨m⟩ is silent.

M is the fourteenth most frequently used letter in the English language.

Other languages

The letter ⟨m⟩ represents the voiced bilabial nasal /m/ in the orthography of Latin as well as in those of many modern languages.

In Washo, lower-case ⟨m⟩ represents a voiced bilabial nasal /m/, while upper-case ⟨M⟩ represents a voiceless bilabial nasal /m̥/.

Other systems

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, ⟨m⟩ represents the voiced bilabial nasal /m/.

Other uses

Styled letter M in the coat of arms of Miehikkala Miehikkala.vaakuna.svg
Styled letter M in the coat of arms of Miehikkälä

Ancestors and siblings in other alphabets

Ligatures and abbreviations

Other representations

Computing

Other

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "M" Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1989); Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (1993); "em," op. cit.
    2. ↑ See F. Simons, "Proto-Sinaitic — Progenitor of the Alphabet" Rosetta 9 (2011): Figure Two: "Representative selection of proto-Sinaitic characters with comparison to Egyptian hieroglyphs", (p. 38) Figure Three: "Chart of all early proto-Canaanite letters with comparison to proto-Sinaitic signs" (p. 39), Figure Four: "Representative selection of later proto-Canaanite letters with comparison to early proto-Canaanite and proto-Sinaitic signs" (p. 40). See also: Goldwasser (2010), following Albright (1966), "Schematic Table of Proto-Sinaitic Characters" (fig. 1 Archived 2016-07-03 at the Wayback Machine ).
    3. ↑ Gordon, Arthur E. (1983). Illustrated Introduction to Latin Epigraphy . University of California Press. pp.  45. ISBN   9780520038981 . Retrieved October 3, 2015. roman numerals.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 "What does M stand for?". The Free Dictionary. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
    5. 1 2 3 4 "M definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
    6. ↑ "MM (Millions)". corporatefinanceinstitute.com. corporate finance institute. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
    7. ↑ Constable, Peter (September 30, 2003). "L2/03-174R2: Proposal to Encode Phonetic Symbols with Middle Tilde in the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    8. ↑ Everson, Michael; et al. (March 20, 2002). "L2/02-141: Uralic Phonetic Alphabet characters for the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    9. ↑ Ruppel, Klaas; Aalto, Tero; Everson, Michael (January 27, 2009). "L2/09-028: Proposal to encode additional characters for the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    10. ↑ Everson, Michael; Dicklberger, Alois; Pentzlin, Karl; Wandl-Vogt, Eveline (June 2, 2011). "L2/11-202: Revised proposal to encode "Teuthonista" phonetic characters in the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    11. ↑ Constable, Peter (April 19, 2004). "L2/04-132 Proposal to add additional phonetic characters to the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    12. 1 2 Perry, David J. (August 1, 2006). "L2/06-269: Proposal to Add Additional Ancient Roman Characters to UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
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