bassina باسينة
Algerian Darja · noun
“bassina” (باسينة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning basin, large washtub.
Meanings
- basin, large washtub
Usage
Bassina refers to the plastic or metal basin used at home to wash laundry, rinse dishes, soak vegetables or wash one's feet. It is a French loanword adapted to the pronunciation and grammar of darja. It takes the article (el-bassina) and forms its plural as bassinat. The word is common throughout Algeria, in an ordinary, household register. For a small container, other words are used instead, such as tas (bowl). For example: bassina ta3 ma, "a basin of water".
Example
عمّري الباسينة بالماء باش نغسلو الحوايج
3ammri el-bassina bel ma bach nghaslou lehwayej
“Fill the basin with water so we can wash the laundry.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bassina” but also “basina”, “bassine”, “bacina” and “bessina”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find باسينة and البسينة, all the same word.