hamza

[ hahm-zah ]

/ ˈhɑm zɑ /

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noun

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of hamza

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

Words nearby hamza

hamstrung, Hamsun, Hamtramck, hamulus, ham up, hamza, Han, Hanafi, Hanahan, hanaper, ha-Nasi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hamza in a sentence

In among the gay bars and risqué bookshops, Hamza started working on the fringes of the sex industry.
Britain’s Most Notorious Islamist Once Worked at Strip Clubs and Peep Shows in London|Nico Hines|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite the legal impediment, Hamza convinced Traverso to marry him.
Britain’s Most Notorious Islamist Once Worked at Strip Clubs and Peep Shows in London|Nico Hines|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, and Hamza al-Ghamdi stayed with him, along with a handful of Saudi guards.
Meet al Qaeda’s New General Manager: Nasser al-Wuhayshi|Eli Lake|August 9, 2013|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.
Iraq War, 10th Anniversary: The Last Grand Mufti|John Kael Weston|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Sheikh Hamza, however, refused to join in and rile up the people.
Iraq War, 10th Anniversary: The Last Grand Mufti|John Kael Weston|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And as she felt them she seemed to see again Hamza, with his beautiful and severe face, praying upon the yellow ground.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
She was still preoccupied, still she seemed to see Hamza running beside her towards the mountains, praying among the rocks.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
In that moment Mrs. Armine began to feel afraid of Hamza, even afraid of his prayers.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
Hamza took down the panniers after laying his wand of sugar-cane upon the burning ground.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
And so each day Ibrahim and Hamza brought this Western woman to the place he had appointed, and always he was there before her.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for hamza

hamza

hamzah

/ (ˈhɑːmzɑː, -zə) /

noun

the sign used in Arabic to represent the glottal stop

Word Origin for hamza

from Arabic hamzah, literally: a compression

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012