salib صليب
Moroccan Darija · noun
“salib” (صليب) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning cross (Christian symbol).
Meanings
- cross (Christian symbol)
Usage
The noun ṣalib (also pronounced ṣlib) refers to the cross, especially as a Christian symbol. It is used when talking about a pendant, a church or the Christian religion in general. The word is close to standard Arabic and is also heard in the media. For a simple cross shape or a crossing of lines, one speaks instead of a crossed shape, without using this word. Do not confuse ṣalib with ṣolb (hard, rigid), which comes from a neighbouring root.
Example
كانت لابسة صليب فعنقها.
kanet labsa salib f 3ne9ha.
“She was wearing a cross around her neck.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “salib” but also “slib”, “salyb” and “saleeb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “salib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “cross (Christian symbol)”; “cross shape”: slib in Tunisian.