3ech عش
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3ech” (عش) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bird's nest.
Meanings
- bird's nest
- den, nest (figurative)
Usage
3ech means a bird's nest. The plural is 3ouch, and the variant 3ouch is also found in the singular. Figuratively, it is used as in French: 3ech ed-dbabir, the "wasps' nest", for a dangerous matter or environment, or a couple's nest. It is often found online in the names of shops or pages, in the sense of a "cosy little home". The word is pronounced with an initial 3, the pharyngeal consonant, which should not be reduced to a plain "a".
Example
العصفور عامل عشّ في الشجرة
l3asfour 3amel 3ech fi chajra
“The bird has made a nest in the tree.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ech” but also “3ouch”, “3ouche”, “3ich” and “3ach”. 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.