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[nibot]

The use of the symbol ∈ (a stylized form of the Greek epsilon) to denote membership was initiated by the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano in 1889. It abbreviates the Greek word ὲστὶ, which means `is.' The underlying rationale is illustrated by the fact that if B is the set of all blue objects, then we write ``x ∈ B'' to assert that x is blue. (Enderton, 1977)

Do you see it there? Our old friend? ὲστὶ? esti?

Comments

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

The epsilon has a smooth breathing mark, not an accent. (Though it possibly has an accent as well. According to my Greek dictionary, it's got an accent on the iota, but just a breathing-mark on the epsilon.)

I always assumed the epsilon meant "element of".