mechya مشية

Moroccan Darija · noun

“mechya” (مشية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning a going, a departure.

Meanings

1. a going, a departure
2. gait, way of walking

Usage

Mechya is the verbal noun of mcha, "to go". It means an outward trip, a journey or a departure. It is often contrasted with rej3a, "return": mechya w rej3a, "round trip". The expression mechya bla rej3a, "a one-way trip with no return", is common, both literally and figuratively. The word also means the way a person walks: 3jbatni mechyto, "I liked his walk". Like a unit noun, it can also count trips: wa7ed lmechya, "once, one trip".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mechya” but also “mchya”, “mchia”, “machya” and “mechia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “mechya” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “walk, walking distance”; “way of walking, gait”: mechya in Tunisian.