mo7it محيط
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mo7it” (محيط) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning environment, surroundings.
Meanings
- environment, surroundings
- ocean
Usage
A word of standard Arabic origin, very present in modern darija, especially in more formal registers: media, school, social discussions. It refers to a person's entourage (lmo7it dyalu, "his circle") or to the natural environment. With the article, lmo7it can also mean the ocean, especially the Atlantic. In casual conversation, simpler phrasings are often preferred for talking about someone's entourage, such as nnas li dayrin bih, "the people around him". It is usually pronounced mo7it, with a short vowel at the start.
Example
المحيط ديالو ما عاونوش
lmo7it dyalo ma 3awnouch
“His entourage didn't help him.”
Forms
| plural | mo7iTat |
|---|
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 “mo7it” but also “mu7it”, “mohit” and “m7it”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “mo7it” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “milieu, surroundings”; “ocean”: mo7it in Tunisian.