wazir وزير
Algerian Darja · noun
“wazir” (وزير) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning minister.
Meanings
- minister
Usage
Wazir means a member of the government, as in "wazir siya7a" (minister of tourism). The plural is wozara. The word belongs to common political vocabulary and is used as is in darja, often in comments on current events or institutions. It is also used ironically for someone who gives himself airs: "3amel rouhou wazir" means "he thinks he's a minister". In conversation, the French word "ministre" is also heard, especially among French-speaking speakers. Here it does not have the old sense of "vizier" from tales.
Example
الوزير جا يزور السبيطار
lwazir ja yzour sbitar
“The minister came to visit the hospital.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wazir” but also “ouazir” and “wezir”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wazir” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “minister”; “groom's best man”: wzir in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “minister”; “best man at a wedding”: wzir in Tunisian.