m7mi محمي
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“m7mi” (محمي) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning protected, sheltered.
Meanings
- protected, sheltered
- heated, hot
Usage
Passive participle matching two verbs of the same form. The first means "to protect", hence "protected": a place, a person or an account kept safe. The second means "to heat", hence "heated", said of water, an oven or an engine. Context decides between the two. The feminine is m7miya and the plural m7miyin. Beware of the gloss "protective": m7mi does not describe the one who protects, but what is protected. For "protector", a different construction is generally used.
Example
الدار محمية مزيان من البرد
ddar m7miya mzyan mn lberd
“The house is well protected from the cold.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m7mi” but also “m7mia”, “mhmi” and “m7emi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.