nmla نملة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“nmla” (نملة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning an ant.
Meanings
- an ant
Usage
Nmla is the singular unit noun of nmel: it means a single ant. It is used when counting (jouj nmlat, "two ants") or when talking about a specific individual. Figuratively, nmla evokes a hardworking, thrifty person, or someone very small and insignificant. To talk about ants in general or an infestation, the collective nmel is preferred. The counted plural is nmlat. It also appears in sayings and children's stories, where the ant plays its usual role as a provident animal.
Example
طلعات ليا شي نملة فرجلي
tl3at lia chi nmla f rejli
“An ant climbed onto my leg.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nmla” but also “nemla”, “namla” and “nmela”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.