mi3yar معيار
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mi3yar” (معيار) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning criterion, standard.
Meanings
- criterion, standard
- insults, reproaches (in expressions)
Usage
Mi3yar, in the sense of "criterion" or "standard", is a formal-register word from Standard Arabic. It is heard mainly in debates, at school or in professional settings. The plural is ma3ayir. It should be distinguished from a similar form that comes from the root meaning "to insult, to shame": in chba3 fih lm3ayr, it is understood as "he showered him with insults". This similarity of form can be misleading. Context is generally enough to decide between a neutral, technical meaning and an insulting one.
Example
شنو هو المعيار باش كيختارو الخدامة؟
chnu howa lmi3yar bach kaykhtaru lkhddama?
“What is the criterion for choosing the workers?”
Forms
| plural | ma3aayir |
|---|
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 “mi3yar” but also “mi3iar”, “m3yar” and “mi3yaar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.