semm سم
Algerian Darja · noun
“semm” (سم) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning poison.
Meanings
- poison
- venom
- harmful or hateful thing (figurative)
Usage
Semm refers to poison or venom, for example that of a snake or a scorpion. It is also used figuratively for something very harmful, such as cigarettes, drugs or bad food: "hadi semm". The word appears in informal curses such as "semm f qalbek", which remains harsh and should be used with caution. Beware of the homograph: the same Arabic spelling can write "ism", "name", in certain religious formulas. Only context tells them apart.
Example
الدخان راهو سم، حبسو
dokhan rah semm, 7absou
“Cigarettes are poison, quit.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “semm” but also “sem”, “smm”, “sam” and “som”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “semm” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “poison, venom”; “bitter, unpleasant thing”: sem in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “poison, venom”; “something very harmful (figurative)”: sem in Tunisian.