Movable nu


In Ancient Greek grammar, movable nu, movable N or ephelcystic nu is a letter nu placed on the end of some grammatical forms in Attic or Ionic Greek. It is used to avoid two vowels in a row and to create a long syllable in poetic meter.

Grammatical forms

Movable nu may appear at the end of certain forms of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. In grammatical paradigms, it is usually written with a parenthesis to indicate that it is optional.

Usage

Movable nu is used before words starting in a vowel to prevent hiatus.
It is often omitted before consonants, but may be included there to produce a heavy syllable where the poetic meter requires one
It is often used at the end of clauses or verses.