seyda سيدة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“seyda” (سيدة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning lady, woman.
Meanings
- lady, woman
- madam (when addressing her)
Usage
Seyda refers to an adult woman in a neutral, polite way, much like "the lady" in English. It is often used with the article and a demonstrative: had sseyda (this lady). It is also used to talk about someone you don't know, for example in a service setting or in the street. In colloquial speech, the word can mean someone's wife. Don't confuse it with syada (sovereignty). The more colloquial word for a woman is mra, and the usual plural is 3yalat.
Example
شكون هاد سيدة
chkoun had seyda
“Who is this lady?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “seyda” but also “syda”, “siyda”, “sayda” and “sseyda”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.