mo3allim معلّم
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mo3allim” (معلّم) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning teacher, schoolteacher.
Meanings
- teacher, schoolteacher
- master craftsman, workshop boss
- monument, notable site
Usage
Pronounced mo3allim, the word means the teacher, especially in primary school. The feminine is mo3allima. Pronounced m3allem, it is the master craftsman or skilled worker (mason, plumber, carpenter), and also the boss of a workshop; apprentices call him that. People also call m3allem someone who excels in a field. The form ma3lam (plural ma3alim) means "monument, historic site". All three words are written the same in Arabic without vowels: only context tells them apart.
Example
كل معلم كايتخصص ف مادة
kol mo3alim kaytkhaSSaS f maadda
“Every teacher specializes in one subject.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mo3allim” but also “m3allem”, “mo3alim”, “m3elem” and “mo3llim”. 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.
Type “mo3allim” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “master craftsman, tradesman”; “boss; expert, ace”: m3alem in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “boss, champ (admiration, address)”; “master craftsman, boss”: m3allem in Tunisian.