dem دم
Algerian Darja · noun
“dem” (دم) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning blood.
Meanings
- blood
- blood tie, descent
- character, temperament
Usage
The word dem means "blood", both literally and figuratively. Literally, one says kherj lih dem, "he bled". Figuratively, it designates kinship or common origin: dem wa7ed, "the same blood". It is also found in expressions about character: demmou khfif, "he is likeable, fun", and demmou tqil, "he is a bore, unpleasant". With a suffixed pronoun, the word becomes demmou, demmha or demmi. The figurative use is very frequent and is not in a formal register.
Example
هاد الراجل دمو خفيف بزاف.
had rajel demmou khfif bezzaf.
“This man is really very likeable.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dem” but also “damm”, “dam”, “demm” and “deme”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “blood”; “anger (in tla3 lih ddem)”: dem in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “blood”; “temperament, character (in idioms)”: dam in Tunisian.