lebsa لبسة
Algerian Darja · noun
“lebsa” (لبسة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning outfit, garment.
Meanings
- outfit, garment
- way of dressing
- traditional costume
Usage
Lebsa refers to a complete outfit or a garment: lebsa jdida, "a new outfit", especially one bought for Eid. The word is also used to talk about how someone dresses: lebsa ta3ou zina, "he dresses well". Finally, it refers to regional traditional costumes, such as the Tlemcen wedding lebsa. The plural is lebsat. This word is different from hwayej, which means clothes in general. Note: the form labsa, "wearing (feminine)", is a participle of the verb lbes and is written the same way in Arabic.
Example
شريتلها لبسة جديدة للعيد.
chritelha lebsa jdida lel 3id.
“I bought her a new outfit for Eid.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lebsa” but also “labsa”, “lbessa” and “lebssa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “lebsa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “outfit, set of clothes”; “dress (women's garment)”: lebsa in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “outfit, set of clothes”; “traditional costume”: lebsa in Tunisian.