mdellem مضلّم
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mdellem” (مضلّم) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning dark, unlit.
Meanings
- dark, unlit
- dark (colour)
Usage
Mdellem describes a place without light: a room, a street, the night. It comes from dlam, "darkness". The feminine is mdellma and the plural is mdellmin. It is often used with dar or bit: l-bit mdellem, "the room is dark". For a dark colour, ghame9 is generally preferred, and mdellem in that sense is rare. This word is distinct from dalam, the noun meaning "darkness". It is also distinct from the verb dellem, "to get dark", as in dellmat, "it's night".
Example
الزنقة مضلّمة بالليل، ما فيهاش الضو
zen9a mDellma bellil, mafihach ddaw
“The street is dark at night, there's no light in it.”
Forms
| feminine | mDllma |
|---|---|
| plural | mDllmin |
| feminine plural | mDllmat |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mdellem” but also “mdallem” and “mdllem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.