merfeq مرفق
Moroccan Darija · noun
“merfeq” (مرفق) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning elbow.
Meanings
- elbow
Usage
Merfeq (often lmerfeq) is the common word for the elbow. The last consonant is pronounced q or g depending on the region, hence the spellings mrf9 and mrfg. The plural is mrafeq. It is mostly used to talk about pain, a blow or a gesture: drbni f lmerfeq, "he hit me on the elbow". Do not confuse it with the homographic standard word meaning "attachment" (as in an email), which belongs to administrative writing.
Example
طحت وتهرس ليا المرفق
tht w thrs lia lmerfeq
“I fell and broke my elbow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “merfeq” but also “mrf9”, “mrfg”, “merfeg” and “marfa9”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.