nṣf (Wz. nṣf) "'old' standard 4,2 g, 'new' standard 5,3 g" Stein 2010a 308
nṣf (Wz. nṣf) "As for the etymology of this term, one is inclined to compare Arabic niṣf 'half; middle,' even though a root with this meaning is not productive in the ASA languages (...). This would fit into the pattern of the other denominations of that standard which can all be explained as some fraction, or multiple, of an (imaginary) basic unit. Since nṣf marks the unit of the monetary standard, however, a meaning 'half' does not really make sense (...). This problem can be avoided when we concentrate on the second of the above-mentioned meanings of Arabic niṣf. A meaning 'half' in the sense of the middle of a thing could refer to the prominent position of the unit within the monetary standard: exactly in the middle between the higher units (counting as multiples) and the lower (counting as fractions)." Stein 2010a 326
nṣf (Wz. nṣf) "ASA name for the unit (1) within the Sabaeo-Minaean monetary system. Within the 'lighter' standard of the ASA Old Style imitations, it is equated with the drachm, i.e., one fourth of the tetradrachm. With the introduction of the 'heavier' standard, its value increases to one third of the tetradrachm (...). However, as the minuscule inscription Mon.script.sab. 90 suggests, this term and those of the corresponding subcategories are probably much older than the coinage of those standards and may be traced back even to the early first millennium BCE. The latest attestation thus far comes from the late second/early third century CE and the (misspelled?) inscription nŝf on a singular Sabaean bucranium coin of the second century CE (...) apparently also refers to this term." Stein 2010a 326