tawes طاوس
Moroccan Darija · noun
“tawes” (طاوس) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning peacock.
Meanings
- peacock
- vain, showy person
Usage
Tawes means the peacock, the bird. Everyone knows the word, but it is used mostly in comparisons: someone who struts about, proud of their looks or clothes, is said to walk or carry themselves "bhal tawes", like a peacock. The usage is the same as in English. The word is masculine. The plural is tawassa or tawawes, but it is rare. In speech, the vowel of the second syllable is often short (taws, tawes). The spelling tawous is closer to the classical pronunciation.
Example
كيتمشى بحال الطاوس
kayetmcha b7al tawes
“He struts around like a peacock.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tawes” but also “taws”, “tawous”, “taawous” and “taous”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “tawes” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “peacock”: tawes in Tunisian.