mous موس
Algerian Darja · noun
“mous” (موس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning knife.
Meanings
- knife
- razor blade
Usage
Mous is the usual word for a knife, especially a kitchen knife. It can also mean a razor blade. The plural is mwas. The register is neutral and everyday. It is used in phrases like "el mous ma yqattach", "the knife doesn't cut". Synonyms exist: koutou, borrowed from French, and boucha, depending on the region. In a fight context, mous evokes a bladed weapon. Pitfall for a French speaker: do not confuse it with French "mousse". The word also has nothing to do with mouss, a local form of "Moussa".
Example
عطيني الموس نقطع الخبز
a'tini el mous nqatta' el khobz
“Pass me the knife so I can cut the bread.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mous” but also “mouss”, “mos”, “mouse” and “mus”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mous” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “knife”; “blade, pocket knife”: mous in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “knife”; “razor blade”: mous in Tunisian.