semsar سمسار

Moroccan Darija · noun

“semsar” (سمسار) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning broker, intermediary.

Meanings

1. broker, intermediary
2. tout, go-between (pejorative)

Usage

The semsar is the intermediary you pay to find housing, a car, land or livestock at the souk. He earns a commission, called semsara. The usual plural is smasra. The word is in everyday use, but it often carries a pejorative nuance: the semsar is accused of inflating prices or cheating both parties. By extension, it can refer to a person who acts as a go-between in shady dealings. For real estate, "agence" is also heard, but semsar remains the most natural term for the informal neighbourhood intermediary.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “semsar” but also “samsar”, “smsar” and “simsar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “semsar” on the Arabic keyboard