meskin مسكين
Algerian Darja · adjective
“meskin” (مسكين) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning poor thing (compassion).
Meanings
- poor thing (compassion)
- poor, destitute
- kind, harmless
Usage
Meskin mainly expresses compassion toward someone: "meskin, mrad", poor thing, he fell ill. It is often placed alone, at the start or end of a sentence, like an exclamation. It can also describe a kind person without malice: "meskin, qalbou byed", he's a good soul, he has a good heart. The sense of "destitute" also exists. The feminine is meskina and the plural is msakin. The word is not pejorative in itself, but an ironic tone can make it condescending. The spelling "miskine" is familiar to French speakers.
Example
مسكين، طاح ونكسرت رجلو
meskin, tah w tkasret rejlou
“Poor thing, he fell and broke his leg.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “meskin” but also “miskine”, “meskine”, “maskin” and “miskin”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “meskin” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “poor thing, pitiable”; “kind, harmless, decent”: mskin in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “poor thing, pitiable”; “meek, harmless, kind”: meskin in Tunisian.