bit lkhzin بيت الخزين
Moroccan Darija · noun
“bit lkhzin” (بيت الخزين) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning storeroom, boxroom.
Meanings
- storeroom, boxroom
- pantry
Usage
Bit l-khzin is the room where provisions and things not used every day are kept. The word comes from khzin, "reserve, stock". In traditional houses it holds oil, semolina, preserves or the dishes kept for festive occasions. Today the term is also used for a simple storage cupboard or a cellar. People commonly say dir-ha f bit l-khzin, "put it in the storeroom". The expression is used in all regions and in every register of home life.
Example
حط الزيت فبيت الخزين
7ett zzit f bit lkhzin
“Put the oil in the storeroom.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bit lkhzin” but also “bit l5zin” and “bit lkhzine”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.