twiyer طويير
Moroccan Darija · noun
“twiyer” (طويير) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning little bird, chick.
Meanings
- little bird, chick
Usage
Ṭwiyer is the diminutive of ṭir, "bird". It refers to a small bird or a fledgling, often with an affectionate nuance. It is readily used when talking to children, in nursery rhymes, or for a pet bird in a cage. Like other diminutives, it can serve as a tender nickname. The plural is ṭwiyrat. For a bird in general, without any idea of smallness, simply use ṭir. The spellings Ter and Tir found online correspond to this base word, not to the diminutive.
Example
شوف داك الطويير فوق الشجرة
chouf dak ttwiyer fo9 chejra
“Look at that little bird up in the tree.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “twiyer” but also “twyer”, “twiyr”, “tewiyer” and “twiyar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.