yatim يتيم
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“yatim” (يتيم) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning orphan.
Meanings
- orphan
Usage
Ytim refers to a child who has lost their father, or both parents. It is used as an adjective (had derri ytim) and as a noun (ytim, "an orphan"). The feminine is ytima. The plural is mostly heard as ytama, especially in charity-related expressions: dar lytama means the orphanage. The word carries strong religious and moral weight, since caring for orphans is an important value. By extension, it can describe someone alone or isolated, but this use is rare.
Example
هاد الدري يتيم، مات ليه باه
had derri ytim, mat lih bah
“This boy is an orphan, his father died.”
Forms
| feminine | ytima |
|---|---|
| plural | ytama |
| feminine plural | ytimat |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “yatim”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “yatim” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “orphan, deprived of parent(s)”; “lone, isolated, unique”: yatim in Tunisian.