walida والدة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“walida” (والدة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning mother (respectful term).
Meanings
- mother (respectful term)
Usage
Lwalida means "mother" in a respectful tone. It is the polite way of speaking about one's mother to a third party: lwalida dyali, "my mother". At home, she is usually called mmi or mama. The word almost always takes the article. It is found in blessing and politeness formulas, for example when asking after someone: kif dayra lwalida? ("how is your mother?"). Together with lwalid, it forms the expression lwalid w lwalida, "the parents".
Example
كيف داير الوالدة؟ الله يحفظها
kif dayra lwalida? llah y7fedha
“How is your mother? May God protect her.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “walida” but also “elwalida”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.