kasra

Meanings

1. In Arabic script, the vowel point for "i", appearing as a small diagonal line placed below a letter ( ـِ ) and designating a short i /i/. If the Arabic letter ي (yāʔ) immediately follows, it indicates a long ī /iː/.
2. In Iranian Persian ـِ represents the vowel /e/. If the letter ـی immediately follows it represents the diphthong /ej/. This usage differs from other Arabic script languages and from classical Persian, in which the diphthong /ej/ did not occur.

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic كَسْرَة (kasra, “a breaking”), instance noun of the verb كَسَرَ (kasara, “to break”).