3kkaz عكّاز
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3kkaz” (عكّاز) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning crutch.
Meanings
- crutch
- cane, walking stick
Usage
3kkaz (or 3okkaz) refers to the object you lean on to walk: an injured person's crutch or an elderly person's cane. English distinguishes crutch and cane, whereas darija uses the same word for both. People commonly say kaymchi b l3kkaz, "he walks with a crutch". In the plural, you hear 3kakz. Figuratively, you can say that a person is someone's 3kkaz, meaning their support in old age. The register is neutral and everyday.
Example
من بعد الحادثة ولّا كيمشي بالعكّاز
mn b3d l7adita wella kaymchi b l3kkaz
“Since the accident, he walks with a crutch.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3kkaz” but also “3okkaz”, “3ekkaz”, “3kaz” and “aakkaz”. 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 “3kkaz” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “cane, walking stick”; “crutch”: 3okkaz in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “crutch”; “walking stick, cane”: 3kkaz in Tunisian.