vulg. ze, In Turkish and Persian the thirteenth, and in Arabic, the eleventh letter of the alphabet. Its phonetic value is z. Its full name is زاء معجمە zâ-i mu‘ceme; the dotted ز . It is also termed زأ هوز the ز of the word هوز (in the ابجد formula).It has the numerical value of 7.In writing, the letter ز never joins the succeeding letter, and it is reduplicated in pronunciation instead of pronouncing the ل of an Arabic definite article preceding it.Being pronounced in Turkish nearly in the same manner with the letters ض and ظ the letter ز is used at times by careless writers instead of those letters; or, a letter ظ is sometimes used instead of ز; as, زابط for ضابط, and ظغنوس for زاغنوس, etc.In Turkish grammar, the letter ز performs several important functions.By being added to the ordinary diminutive termination of substantives, it forms the diminutive of coaxing affection, thus; آدمجق a little man, آدمجغز a darling little man, etc.In personal pronouns the letter ز forms the plural of the first, and of the second person, by substitution in the place of the termination of the singular, thus; بن I, بز we; سن thou, سز you.As a suffixed possessive pronoun the letter ز forms the plural of the first and of the second person, thus; آدمم my man, آدممز our man, آدمڭ thy man, آدمڭز your man, etc.In verbs the letter ز terminates in some tenses the first, and in all tenses the second person plural; as, باقیورز، باقیورسڭز etc.In negative and impotential verbs, the letter ز also forms the third person singular of the aorist indicative, and the aorist active participle, thus; باقمز، باقەمز ; it is consequently found in all the persons, singular and plural, of the aorist and past tenses of those verbs.When a letter ز is the initial of an Arabic triliteral root that passes into the form افتعال, the servile ت of the form is changed into a د ; thus; زجر، ازدجار izdicâr, مزدجر müzdecir, etc.When a letter ز is the initial of an Arabic triliteral root that passes into the form افتعال, the servile ت of the form is changed into a د ; thus; زجر، ازدجار izdicâr, مزدجر müzdecir, etc.In Persian derivation, a letter خ in a passive participle becomes ز in the active and in the verbal noun; as, سوختە burnt, سوز that burns, سوزش an act of burning.