Il segn al derive dal semitic Ayin (voli), che inte origjin al rapresentave une consonant.
The Greeks are thought to have come up with the innovation of vowels, and lacking a pharyngeal consonant, employed this letter as the Greek O to represent the vowel /o/, sun mantignût tes lenghis etrusche e latine. Te lenghe greche, plui tart, e fo introdusude une variante par distingui il sun lunc (Omega, "O grande") de o curte (Omicron, "o piçule").