mzawak مزوق
Algerian Darja · adjective
“mzawak” (مزوق) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning decorated, adorned, embellished.
Meanings
- decorated, adorned, embellished
- colourful, multicoloured
- pretty on the outside
Usage
Mzawwak (feminine mzawka, plural mzawkin) describes something decorated, adorned or embellished: a room, a cake, an object or an outfit. The word comes from the verb zawwak, "to decorate, to embellish", very common when talking about preparing a party or decorating a dish. It is often used with a nuance of distrust for what is beautiful on the surface but disappointing inside, for example mzawwak men barra, "pretty on the outside". The register is informal and neutral, with no particular pejorative connotation. It is understood everywhere in Algeria.
Example
الكيكة مزوقة بزاف
el cake mzawka bezzaf
“The cake is very nicely decorated.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mzawak” but also “mzawek”, “mzawk”, “mzaw9” and “mzawe9”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.