Definition of "hamza"

A sign (ء‎ (ʔ)‎ - 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 diacritically over or under other letters, e.g. أ‎ (ʔ)‎ (over an alif - ا‎‎), إ‎ (ʔ)‎ (under an alif), ؤ‎ (ʔ)‎ (over a wāw - و‎ (w)‎) or ئ‎ (ʔ)‎ (over a dotless yāʾ - ى‎‎). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule - "seat of hamza rule".  quotations  examples