▁the ▁manus ▁obsc ena , ▁or ▁" ob scene ▁hand ". ▁ ▁The ▁letter ▁" T " ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁manual ▁alphabet ▁is ▁very ▁similar ▁to ▁this ▁gesture . ▁ ▁The ▁word ▁sy c oph ant ▁comes ▁from ▁the ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁word ▁ σ υ κ ο φ ά ν τ η ς ▁( s yk oph ánt ē s ), ▁meaning ▁" one ▁who ▁shows ▁or ▁reve als ▁fig s "; ▁though ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁une qu iv ocal ▁explanation ▁as ▁to ▁the ▁reason ▁why ▁sy c oph ants ▁in ▁An cient ▁Greece ▁were ▁so ▁called , ▁one ▁explanation ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁sy c oph ant , ▁by ▁making ▁false ▁accus ations , ▁ins ult ed ▁the ▁def endant ▁in ▁a ▁manner ▁analog ous ▁to ▁making ▁the ▁fig ▁sign . ▁ ▁International ▁nom en cl ature ▁In ▁Italy ▁this ▁sign , ▁known ▁as ▁mano ▁in ▁f ico ▁(" fig - hand "), ▁or ▁far ▁le ▁f iche ▁( c unt ▁gesture ), ▁for ▁the ▁res embl ance ▁to ▁female ▁gen ital ia , ▁was ▁a ▁common ▁and ▁very ▁r ude ▁gesture ▁in ▁past ▁centuries , ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁finger , ▁but ▁has ▁long ▁since ▁fallen ▁out ▁of ▁use . ▁Not ably , ▁a ▁rem nant ▁of ▁its ▁usage ▁is ▁found ▁in ▁D ante ' s ▁Div ine ▁Com edy ▁( In fer no , ▁C anto ▁XX V ), ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁commonly ▁represented ▁in ▁medieval ▁paint ings ▁of ▁the ▁Man ▁of ▁Sor row . ▁In ▁Greece ▁and ▁particularly ▁in ▁the