mt3asseb متعصّب
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mt3asseb” (متعصّب) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning stubborn, obstinate.
Meanings
- stubborn, obstinate
- fanatical, bigoted
- on edge, irritated
Usage
In everyday conversation, mt3asseb mostly describes a narrow-minded person who clings to their opinion and refuses to listen. The word also keeps the sense of "fanatic", whether about religion, a region or a football club: mt3asseb l-lfariq dyalo ("a fanatic of his team"). It is often used with rah and intensifiers such as bezzaf or men jbila ("by nature"). The English gloss "orthodox" is misleading: the word does not mean "orthodox". It has a pejorative nuance. The feminine is mt3asba and the plural is mt3asbin.
Example
راه متعصب بزّاف
rah mt3sseb bezzaf
“He is very stubborn.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mt3asseb” but also “mt3sseb”, “mta3asseb” and “mt3aseb”. 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.