mess مصّ
Moroccan Darija · verb
“mess” (مصّ) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to suck.
Meanings
- to suck
- to absorb, soak up
- to exploit someone (figurative)
Usage
Mess means "to suck". In the present tense, you say kaymess. It is used for a sweet, a bone, a fruit, a straw or a child's finger: kaymess sba3o, "he sucks his thumb". It can also refer to a liquid absorbed by a material, for example a sponge soaking up water. Figuratively, mess demm, "to suck blood", means to exploit someone mercilessly, as in French. Depending on the context, the verb can have a vulgar connotation. It is therefore best to be careful when using it outside these concrete contexts.
Example
الدري كيمص الحلوة
drri kaymess l7elwa
“The child is sucking a sweet.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kanmSS | mSSit | |
| nta (you, m.) | katmSS | mSSiti | mSS |
| nti (you, f.) | katmSSi | mSSiti | mSSi |
| howa (he) | kaymSS | mSS | |
| hiya (she) | katmSS | mSSat | |
| 7na (we) | kanmSSo | mSSina | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katmSSo | mSSito | mSSo |
| homa (they) | kaymSSo | mSSo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mess” but also “mss”, “mes”, “mass” and “mos”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.