Hamza
/ˈhæm.zə/noun
The Arabic letter ء, representing the glottal stop, and a related diacritic used to mark it.
Did you know?Hamza is named from Arabic hamz, meaning a ‘glottal stop’ or ‘pressing,’ and in traditional Arabic grammar it became the symbol for a sound you can hear only when speech suddenly snaps shut.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
hamza
“a glottal stop; the sound of a sudden catch or press in the throat”
Early Arabic orthography
Arabic
ء
“the sign used to represent the glottal stop in writing”
Medieval Arabic grammar
Arabic
hamzat al-qatʿ
“the ‘hamza of severance,’ a hamza that cuts off the preceding sound”
Modern English
English
hamza
“the Arabic letter or diacritic representing the glottal stop”