3amel عامل
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3amel” (عامل) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning governor (of a province, prefecture).
Meanings
- governor (of a province, prefecture)
- having done (participle of 3mel)
- worker; factor (formal)
Usage
In Morocco, l3amel primarily means the governor, that is, the representative of the State at the head of a province or prefecture. The word appears very often in local news. 3amel is also the participle of the verb 3mel, "to do": ana 3amel lkhedma, "I have done the work". In this use it agrees: 3amla in the feminine, 3amlin in the plural. The senses "worker" and "factor" (an element that has an influence) belong to the standard register. For "worker", everyday conversation prefers khddam.
Example
العامل جا يزور المدينة.
l3amel ja yzour lmdina.
“The governor came to visit the city.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3amel” but also “3amil” and “3aml”. 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.
Type “3amel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “doing, having done”; “worker, employee”: 3amel in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “who has done, who has prepared”; “worker, laborer”: 3amel in Tunisian.