Breathing mark
Okay. What's that squiggly thing over the epsilon?
ἐστιν
It is called a "breathing mark." There are two types of breathing marks.
- Smooth breathing, which is what we have here
- Rough breathing, which we will see in a minute.
Every Greek word that begins with a vowel is going to have a breathing mark. The breathing on ἐστιν is a smooth breathing mark. It opens up to the left as if it were a backwards c. It is not pronounced.
Then why is it there if it isn't pronounced? There is a long history behind the breathing mark, but I doubt you care. Maybe I will tell you later. For now, just remember:
- all words that start with a vowel have a breathing mark.
If it is a smooth breathing,
- it opens up to the left,
- it is not pronounced.