sser3 الصرع
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sser3” (الصرع) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning epilepsy.
Meanings
- epilepsy
- epileptic seizure
Usage
Ssre3 means epilepsy as a disease, and by extension the seizure itself. It is heard mostly in phrases like "3ndo ssre3" (he is epileptic) and "jatou ssre3" (he had a seizure). It is an everyday word, used both within the family and with a doctor, although medical staff often switch to the French "épilepsie". The subject remains delicate in some families and is sometimes spoken of in veiled terms. The main thing to remember is the construction with "3nd" to say that a person has the illness.
Example
ولدها عندو الصرع، خاصو الدوا كل نهار
wlidha 3ndo ssre3, khasso ddwa kol nhar
“Her son is epileptic, he needs his medication every day.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sser3” but also “ssre3”, “sra3”, “ssara3”, “sar3” and “ssr3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.