selk سلك
Moroccan Darija · noun
“selk” (سلك) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning metal wire.
Meanings
- metal wire
- electric cable
- professional corps (administrative register)
Usage
Selk means a wire, especially a metal or electrical one: selk d d-dou (electric wire), selk d l-fil (iron wire). The plural is slouk. The sense "professional corps", as in selk t-ta3lim, comes from the administrative register. It should not be confused with the verb slek, "to get by, to manage", very frequent in expressions such as "Allah ysellek" or "slek rask", fend for yourself, get yourself out of trouble. This verb is written the same way in Arabic but pronounced differently.
Example
ما تقيسش داك السلك، فيه الضو
ma t9issch dak selk, fih d-dou
“Don't touch that wire, it's live.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “selk” but also “slk”, “silk” and “salk”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “selk” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “wire, metal wire”; “professional corps (formal register)”: selk in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “wire, cable”; “corps (professional or administrative)”: selk in Tunisian.