hamza

[ hahm-zah ]

noun

1. the sign used in Arabic writing to represent the glottal stop, usually written above another letter and shown in English transliterations as an apostrophe.

hamza

/ ˈhɑːmzɑː; -zə /

noun

1. the sign used in Arabic to represent the glottal stop

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamza¹

First recorded in 1935–40, hamza is from the Arabic word ḥamzah literally, a squeezing together

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamza¹

from Arabic hamzah, literally: a compression

Example Sentences

In among the gay bars and risqué bookshops, Hamza started working on the fringes of the sex industry.

From The Daily Beast

Despite the legal impediment, Hamza convinced Traverso to marry him.

From The Daily Beast

Ayman al-Zawahiri, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, and Hamza al-Ghamdi stayed with him, along with a handful of Saudi guards.

From The Daily Beast

Even Sheik Hamza Abbas al Isaawi, the grand mufti of Fallujah, had to leave his spiritual home, like a pope banished from Rome.

From The Daily Beast

Sheikh Hamza, however, refused to join in and rile up the people.

From The Daily Beast

And as she felt them she seemed to see again Hamza, with his beautiful and severe face, praying upon the yellow ground.

From Project Gutenberg

She was still preoccupied, still she seemed to see Hamza running beside her towards the mountains, praying among the rocks.

From Project Gutenberg

In that moment Mrs. Armine began to feel afraid of Hamza, even afraid of his prayers.

From Project Gutenberg

Hamza took down the panniers after laying his wand of sugar-cane upon the burning ground.

From Project Gutenberg

And so each day Ibrahim and Hamza brought this Western woman to the place he had appointed, and always he was there before her.

From Project Gutenberg