3azeb عازب
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“3azeb” (عازب) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning single, unmarried.
Meanings
- single, unmarried
Usage
3azeb describes a person who is not married. The feminine is "3azba" and the plural is "3azzab". It is the opposite of "m3arres" (married) in the classic question "m3arres walla 3azeb?". The word is neutral. For women of a certain age, however, it can carry a heavy social connotation, competing with more derogatory terms that are best avoided. It is also used as a noun: "dar el-3azzab" (housing for young single people). Note that it does not mean "alone" in the sense of lonely. For that idea, say "wa7dou".
Example
إنتي معرسة ولا عازبة؟
enti m3arsa walla 3azba?
“Are you married or single?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3azeb” but also “azeb”, “3azib”, “3azb” and “aazeb”. 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.