3ouma عومة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3ouma” (عومة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning swim, dip.
Meanings
- swim, dip
- first swim of the season
Usage
3ouma is the singulative noun derived from 3am, y3oum ("to swim"): it is one swim, a spell spent in the water. It is used with 3mal or 3am: "3malt 3ouma" or "3omt 3ouma" ("I went for a swim"). The expression awwel 3ouma, the first swim of the summer, comes up in conversation every year. The word is colloquial and suggests pleasure and relaxation rather than competitive swimming; to talk about a trained swimmer, use the verb 3am or the noun 3oum instead.
Example
هبطنا للبحر وعملنا عومة تهبل.
hbatna lel b7ar w 3malna 3ouma tahbel.
“We went down to the sea and had a fantastic swim.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ouma” but also “aouma”, “3ooma” and “3ome”. 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.