Etymology

damma

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Today it means: In the Arabic script, the vowel point for u, appearing as a small curl placed above a letter ( ـُ ) and designating a short u /u/. If the Arabic letter و (w) immediately follows, it indicates a long ū /uː/. Full definition →

Arabic ضَمَّة
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The story

  1. Arabic · borrowed fromضَمَّة“a joining”
  2. English todaydamma

Borrowed from Arabic ضَمَّة (ḍamma, “a joining”), instance noun of the verb ضَمَّ (ḍamma, “to join”). Refers to the joining of the lips together when making an /u/ sound.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.