The fourteenth letter of the alphabet; called صَادٌ. It is one of the letters termed مَهْمُوسَة [or nonvocal, i. e. pronounced with the breath only, without the voice]; and of the letters termed أَسَلِيَّة, as also ز and س, because proceeding from the tip of the tongue; (TA;) and is one of the letters termed مُسْتَعْلِيَة, which are obstacles to إِمَالَة: (M in art. صود:) it is not conjoined with س, nor with ز, [nor, as some say, with ج, (see إِجَّاصٌ,)] in any Arabic word. (TA. [See also art. صود.]) It is a radical, and a substitute; not an augmentative. (M in art. صود.) It is sometimes substituted for س; and, as MF observes, what Ibn-Umm-Kásim says appears to mean that this substitution is allowable unrestrictedly; but Ibn-Málik, in the Tes-heel, makes it subject to conditions, saying that it is allowable accord. to a certain dial. when the س is followed by غ or خ or ق or ط, even when separated therefrom by a letter or by two letters: MF says that the dial. above mentioned is that of Benu-l-'Ambar, accord. to Sb and others; who give as exs. صَغِبَ for سَغِبَ, and صَخِرَ for سَخِرَ, and صَقَبٌ for سَقَبٌ, and صَطَعَ for سَطَعَ. (TA.)

[As a numeral, ص denotes Ninety.]