Hamza

Origin

From Arabic همزة (hamza)

Full definition of hamza

Noun

1. A sign (ء - a stand-alone hamza) used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter or most commonly over or under other letters, e.g. أ‎ (over an alif - ا), إ‎ (under an alif), ؤ‎‎ (over a wāw - و) or ئ‎‎‎ (over a dotless yāʾ - ى). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule - "seat of hamza rule".

Usage notes

Sometimes transliterated as an apostrophe.