hourma حرمة
Algerian Darja · noun
“hourma” (حرمة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning honor, dignity.
Meanings
- honor, dignity
- respect owed to a place or thing
- woman (rare, regional)
Usage
In Algeria, hourma mainly means honor, dignity and respect for what must be protected: the family, the women of the household, a place, a shared space. A family is said to have "dine w hourma", religion and honor, and people are called on to respect the hourma of a neighborhood or a beach. The word carries a strong moral weight and a rather serious register. The sense of "woman, wife", common in other Maghreb countries, is little used in Algeria, where people say mra. An English speaker will think of the word "harem", which shares the same root.
Example
لازم نحترمو حرمة الحومة
lazem nhatermou hourmet el houma
“We must respect the dignity of the neighborhood.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hourma” but also “horma”, “7orma”, “hurma” and “7ourma”. 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.