kesser كسر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“kesser” (كسر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning break, smash to pieces.
Meanings
- break, smash to pieces
- hurt, offend (kesser l-khaṭer)
Usage
Kesser, with its middle consonant doubled, means to break or smash, often into several pieces or with an idea of intensity: "kesser l-kisan" (he broke the glasses). To break something in one go, darija also uses "herres". Figuratively, "kesser l-khaṭer" means to offend or hurt someone, and "kesser rasu" means to rack one's brain. The passive form is "tkesser" (to get broken). The noun "kasr" (fraction, in mathematics) belongs to school Standard Arabic. Do not confuse this verb with "khesser" (to spend, to waste).
Example
الدري كسّر الطباسل كاملين
drri kesser tbasl kamlin
“The kid broke all the plates.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kesser” but also “kasser”, “kssr”, “kser”, “ksser” and “kasr”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kesser” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to break, smash”; “fraction (mathematics)”: ksar in Tunisian.