dama ضامة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“dama” (ضامة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning checkers, draughts.
Meanings
- checkers, draughts
- checkerboard
Usage
Ḍama refers to the game of checkers (draughts), very popular in Morocco. It is played in cafés, in front of shops or in the street, often on a hand-drawn board with bottle caps as pieces. People say l3eb ḍ-ḍama, "to play checkers". The word can also refer to the board itself. The game is associated with older men and neighbourhood afternoons. It should not be confused with chess, which is called ṭ-ṭrenj or chess. It is feminine, like other nouns ending in -a: ḍama zwina.
Example
باقي كيلعبو الضامة فالقهوة.
ba9i kayl3bo DDama f l9hwa.
“They still play checkers at the café.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dama” but also “daama”, “dhama” and “ddama”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.