thara طهارة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“thara” (طهارة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning circumcision and its celebration.
Meanings
- circumcision and its celebration
- ritual purity
Usage
In Morocco, the usual meaning of thara is the circumcision of a boy, often accompanied by a small family celebration. At these celebrations, the child is dressed in traditional clothing and relatives give gifts. One says dar lih thara ("he was circumcised") or nhar thara dyalo ("the day of his circumcision"). In a religious context, the word keeps its meaning of purity or ritual ablution, as in Classical Arabic. The word is neutral and poses no register problem. The corresponding verb is thher, "to circumcise".
Example
غدا عندنا الطهارة ديال خويا الصغير.
ghedda 3ndna thara dyal khouya sghir.
“Tomorrow we have my little brother's circumcision.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “thara” but also “t8ara”, “tahara” and “thra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “thara” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “circumcision”; “circumcision celebration”: tahara in Tunisian.