7mama حمامة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“7mama” (حمامة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning pigeon.
Meanings
- pigeon
- dove
Usage
The word 7mama means a single pigeon or a single dove. The collective noun is 7mam (pigeons), as in "l-7mam f s-sa7a" (the pigeons in the square). The word is used both for the city bird and for the ones raised on rooftops. It is also used figuratively for a gentle or peaceful person, especially a woman or a child. Be careful not to confuse it with 7mmam (hammam): there is no doubled consonant, and the final vowel -a marks the singular unit.
Example
واحد نهار كنت گالسا فالقهوة تا بزقت عليا حمامة
wahd nhar knt galssa fl9hwa ta bz9at 3lia 7mama
“One day I was sitting at the café when a pigeon pooped on me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7mama” but also “hmama”, “7amama” and “7maama”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7mama” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “pigeon, dove”; “term of endearment (beloved)”: hmama in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “pigeon”; “dove”: hmema in Tunisian.