3a9rab عقرب
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3a9rab” (عقرب) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning scorpion.
Meanings
- scorpion
- venomous, malicious person
Usage
3e9rab first means the scorpion, a well-known animal in Morocco, especially in the South and in summer. The word is also used figuratively for a sneaky or malicious person who "stings" without warning. It is heard in sentences like "had chi wa7ed 3e9rab", this person is a real viper. In several regions, the q is pronounced g: "3grab". The usual plural is "3qareb". The figurative sense is colloquial, but it is not vulgar.
Example
شفت عقرب تحت الحجرة
cheft 3e9rab te7t l7ejra
“I saw a scorpion under the stone.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3a9rab” but also “3e9rab”, “3grab”, “3qrb” and “3agrab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “3a9rab” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “scorpion”; “sly, venomous person”: 3a9reb in Tunisian.