dem3a دمعة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“dem3a” (دمعة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning tear (single drop).
Meanings
- tear (single drop)
Usage
Dem3a is the feminine unit noun for a single tear. The usual plural is dmou3. It appears in expressions like 7bes dem3a, "to hold back a tear", or dem3a ṭay7a, "a falling tear". It is common in songs and moving stories. Figuratively, it can also mean a very small amount of liquid, but this sense is rare. The word belongs to everyday language.
Example
حبسة دمعة بزز
7absa dm3a bzez
“She is holding back a tear with great effort.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dem3a” but also “dm3a”, “dam3a” and “dme3a”. 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 “dem3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “tear (from crying)”; “a touch of sadness, grief”: dam3a in Tunisian.