wynn
n. countablen. a letter used in the Old English alphabet that looks like a 'p' but sounds like a 'w'. It was eventually replaced by the double 'u' we use today.
n. a character (ƿ) used in Old English and early Middle English to represent the labial-velar approximant /w/. Derived from the runic alphabet, it was gradually superseded by the digraph 'uu' and later the letter 'w'.
The scribe used a wynn to write the word for water.
Scholars studying Beowulf in its original manuscript must learn to distinguish the letter wynn from the similar-looking thorn and p.
The transition from the runic wynn to the Latinate 'w' reflects the broader orthographic shifts occurring as Norman scribal traditions began to influence the written English language after the conquest.
When used in modern typography, it is often replaced by 'w' for readability unless the text is a diplomatic transcription.