lemma لمة
Algerian Darja · noun
“lemma” (لمة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning family or friends gathering.
Meanings
- family or friends gathering
- warm feeling of being together
- gathering of people
Usage
Lemma means the act of getting together, especially with family or close ones, and carries strong emotional weight. One speaks of "lemma ta3 la3ayla" (the family gathering), particularly during Ramadan, Eid or holidays. The word evokes the event as much as the warm atmosphere that goes with it. It often appears in wishes such as "rabbi ydoum el lemma" (may God make this gathering last). For an English speaker, "meeting" is too neutral: it is never a work meeting. "Reunion" or "being together" often capture the nuance better.
Example
اللمة تاع العايلة في رمضان ما كاش كيفها
el lemma ta3 la3ayla f ramdan ma kach kifha
“Nothing beats the family gathering during Ramadan.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lemma” but also “lamma”, “lema” and “lamaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “lemma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “gathering, get-together (family, friends)”; “togetherness, conviviality”: lamma in Tunisian.