3er9 عرق
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3er9” (عرق) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning vein, blood vessel.
Meanings
- vein, blood vessel
- sweat
- root, origin
Usage
The word 3r9, plural 3rou9, refers to a vein or a vessel visible under the skin. By extension, in everyday language it also refers to a nerve or a tendon. With the article, l3r9 very often means sweat, hence the adjective 3r9an, "sweaty". The context usually settles which of the two senses is meant. It is also used figuratively for a person's origin or lineage. The letter ق is often written 9 in arabizi.
Example
كايبانو ليه العروق فيديه.
kaybanou lih l3rou9 f ydih.
“The veins show on his hands.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3er9” but also “3r9”, “3ar9”, “3re9” and “3rq”. 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 “3er9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “vein, blood vessel”; “nerve, tendon (common usage)”: 3erq in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “vein, blood vessel”; “sweat, perspiration”: 3er9 in Tunisian.