hawwet حوط
Algerian Darja · verb
“hawwet” (حوط) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning fence in, enclose with a barrier.
Meanings
- fence in, enclose with a barrier
- surround, encircle
Usage
Hawwet means to surround something with a fence, a wall or wire netting: a field, a garden, a plot. It is also used more broadly for "to encircle, surround": people surrounding someone, a hedge around a house. The construction is direct (hawwet el ard, "fence in the land") or with 3la (hawwet 3lih, "surround him"). The related noun is hit (wall), and the word for a fence is often hayot or hit depending on the region. The register is common and neutral. Note: the spelling hawata looks like a classical form, but in speech you mostly hear hawwet, with a doubled w and no final vowel.
Example
حوّط الجنان بالسلك باش ما يدخلوش المعيز.
7awwet el jnan b sselk bach ma yedekhlouch el m3iz.
“He fenced in the garden with wire so the goats wouldn't get in.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hawwet” but also “7awwet”, “hawet”, “7awet” and “hawata”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.