ش alphabetical letter ش
The thirteenth letter of the alphabet: called
شِينٌ. It is one of the letters termed مَهْمُوسَة [or non-vocal, i. e. pronounced with the breath only, without the voice]; and of the letters termed شَجْرِيَّة, (TA,) from الشَّجْرُ, which means “ the place of the opening of the mouth. ” (TA on the letter ج. See also شِيْنٌ in art. شين.) It is sometimes substituted for the affixed pronoun of the second Pers\. fem., كِ; as in رَأَيْتُشِ for رَأَيْتُكِ, and as in the following verse,
فَعَيْنَاشِ عَيْنَاهَا وَجِيدُشِ جِيدُهَا
وَلٰكِنَّ السَّاقِ مِنْشِ رَقِيقُ
[And thy two eyes are her two eyes, and thy neck is her neck; but the bone of thy shank is slender]; i. e. عَيْنَاكَ and جِيْدُكِ and مِنْكِ: this substitution for the affixed pronoun of the second Pers\. fem. is of dial. of Benoo-'Amr and Temeem; and is not restricted to cases of pausation, as is shown by the verse above cited, though some assert it to be so: it is also substituted for the ك of دِيك, when with kesr, so that they said دِيشٍ: also for جٍ, as in مُدَمَّشٌ[or مُدْمَشٌ], for مُدَمَّجٌ [or مُدْمَجٌ]: and for س, as in جَعْشُوشٌ, for جَعْسُوسٌ. (MF. [See also De Sacy's Chrest, Arabe, sec.
ed., iii. 530-31.])
A2: [As a numeral, it denotes Three hundred.]
