wld 3mmi ولد عمي
Moroccan Darija · expression
“wld 3mmi” (ولد عمي) is an expression in Moroccan Darija meaning my cousin (paternal uncle's son).
Meanings
- my cousin (paternal uncle's son)
- close relative, kinsman
Usage
Wld 3mmi means the son of the father's brother (3mmi, "my paternal uncle"). Traditionally it is the most-mentioned cousin, because he belongs to the same paternal line. The feminine is bent 3mmi, the plural wlad 3mmi. In the plural, wlad 3mmi can also refer more broadly to relatives on the father's side, or even to people seen as close or belonging to the same group. The possessive follows the person concerned: wld 3mmek "your cousin." Not to be confused with wld 3mmti, the son of the paternal aunt.
Example
هادا ولد عمي، كنا كنقراو مجموعين
hada wld 3mmi, kenna kanqraw mjmo3in
“This is my cousin, we used to study together.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wld 3mmi” but also “wld 3mi”, “weld 3emmi”, “wld aami” and “ould 3ami”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “wld 3mmi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my paternal cousin”; “buddy (informal)”: weld 3ammi in Tunisian.