sayed صيد

Algerian Darja · verb

“sayed” (صيد) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to hunt (game).

Meanings

1. to hunt (game)
2. to fish
3. to trap, catch (figurative)

Usage

Sayyed means to hunt or to fish, depending on context: sayyed lehwet, "to fish for fish", sayyed el hjel, "to hunt partridge". The verbal noun is sid or sayd, "hunting, fishing", and the hunter is called sayyad. Figuratively, sayyed means to catch someone, trap them, or win someone over, in a familiar and often mocking tone. Pitfall for an English speaker: a single verb covers both hunting and fishing, whereas English distinguishes them.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sayed” but also “sayyed”, “siyed”, “syed” and “sayad”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “sayed” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to fish”; “to hunt, to catch (an animal)”: siyyed in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “lion”; “fishing, hunting”: sid in Tunisian.