timsa7 تمساح
Moroccan Darija · noun
“timsa7” (تمساح) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning crocodile.
Meanings
- crocodile
Usage
Timsah is the usual word for the crocodile, whether the animal is seen on television, at the zoo or in a cartoon. The usual plural is tmasih. The word is also used figuratively: a cunning, voracious or unscrupulous person who swallows everything in their path can be called timsah. The expression "dmou3 timsah" (crocodile tears) exists, with the same meaning as in English, for feigned regret or sadness. The word is masculine. In written arabizi, the final h is often written 7.
Example
شفنا تمساح كبير فالزو
chefna timsah kbir f zoo
“We saw a big crocodile at the zoo.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “timsa7” but also “timsah”, “tamsa7” and “temsa7”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.