mchmach مشماش
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mchmach” (مشماش) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning apricot.
Meanings
- apricot
- apricot tree
Usage
Mchmach is the usual word for apricot in Morocco. It is a collective noun that refers to the fruit in general: kanbghi lmchmach, "I like apricots". For a single fruit, say mchmacha or wahed lmchmacha. Dried apricots are called mchmach yabes. They are very present in Moroccan cooking, notably in some sweet-and-savory tajines and among the dried fruits served at celebrations. The word can also refer to the tree itself, but people often specify chejrat lmchmach. Not to be confused with mchemmech, "sunny".
Example
كاين عندك مشماش؟
kayn 3ndk mechmach?
“Do you have any apricots?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mchmach” but also “mechmach”, “machmach”, “mchmash” and “michmach”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mchmach” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “apricot”; “apricot tree”: mechmech in Tunisian.