solta سلطة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“solta” (سلطة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning the authorities, local administration.
Meanings
- the authorities, local administration
- power, authority
Usage
Solta, almost always with the article (s-solta), refers first of all to the concrete administrative authorities: caïdat, moqaddem, police, prefecture. One says "mcha l s-solta" for "he went to see the administration" and "nas d s-solta" for people who hold official power. The abstract sense of "power" exists, but it belongs more to formal or journalistic register. Note: this word has nothing to do with salad, which is chlada in darija. The usual pronunciation has a short o: solta.
Example
مشا شكا للسلطة على الجار ديالو
mcha chka l s-solta 3la jar dyalo
“He went to complain to the authorities about his neighbor.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “solta” but also “sulta” and “s-solta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.