ysawett يسوط
Algerian Darja · verb
“ysawett” (يسوط) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to whip, hit with a belt.
Meanings
- to whip, hit with a belt
- to beat hard, thrash
Usage
Ysawwet (past sawwet) comes from sout, the whip. It is used for blows given with a whip, a belt, a cable or a stick, often when recalling childhood punishments (the father or the teacher who sawwet). The construction with fi is frequent: ysawwet fih (he whips him, he beats him black and blue). By extension, it is used for any repeated, vigorous beating, sometimes humorously. The register is colloquial. Do not confuse it with swat (plural of sout) or with saweb, which has another meaning.
Example
كي كنا صغار المعلم كان يسوط بالمسطرة.
Ki konna sghar el mo3allim kan ysawwet bel mastra.
“When we were little, the teacher used to hit with the ruler.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “ysawett”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.