lwodou لوضو
Moroccan Darija · noun
“lwodou” (لوضو) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning ritual ablutions before prayer.
Meanings
- ritual ablutions before prayer
Usage
Lwoudou refers to the ritual ablutions performed before prayer: washing the hands, mouth, face, arms and feet. The most common construction is "dar lwoudou" (to perform one's ablutions); one also says "twedda" with the same meaning. "Ana b lwoudou" means "I am in a state of ablution", and "tfeddat lwoudou" or "mcha lih lwoudou" is used when that state is broken. The word belongs to everyday religious vocabulary and is not formal. Latin spellings vary a lot depending on whether the article is written.
Example
دير لوضو عاد صلّي
dir lwoudou 3ad salli
“Do your ablutions, then pray.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lwodou” but also “loudou”, “lwdo” and “lodo”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.