daman دمان
Moroccan Darija · noun
“daman” (دمان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning social security (ddaman l-ijtima3i).
Meanings
- social security (ddaman l-ijtima3i)
- guarantee, insurance
Usage
Ddaman is used mainly in the expression ddaman l-ijtima3i, which means social security and, by extension, the CNSS. You hear it in sentences like mdekler f ddaman ("registered with social security"). On its own, the word can also mean "guarantee", but for an appliance warranty people more often say garantie, as in French. It is normally written with emphatic ḍ (ض); the spelling with d (د) reflects the pronunciation but is incorrect. The register is administrative.
Example
لي عندو شي سؤال في دمان اجتماعي يكتبو هنا
li 3ando chi so2al fi daman ijtima3i ikatbo hna
“Those who have a question about social security, write it here.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “daman” but also “ddaman” and “damane”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.