Cf. Tgr. šašənte ‘ants’ (WTS 214), probably related with the first m lost and the second one assimilated to n before t (for an alternative interpretation of this form v. *sā/ūs- ‘moth’, SED II No. 198).
Cf. Sod. mašo ‘kind of ant’ (EDG 433). Metathesis of a non-reduplicated prototype of the present root?
*šina - they (fem.)
(HALOT 252, Kogan 2009:68, Huehnergard 2019:51–52)
For the distribution of the initial š- and h- in individual languages see *šū̆/šū̆ˀ/šū̆wa (compare also the initial ˀ- in BArm). See Kogan 2009:66, 68.