3rousa عروسة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3rousa” (عروسة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bride, newlywed woman.
Meanings
- bride, newlywed woman
- doll
Usage
3rousa means the bride, on the wedding day and during the first period of the marriage. The groom is 3rous, and the two together are el 3ers or el 3rayes. The word appears throughout wedding vocabulary, for example la7nnet el 3rousa, "the bride's henna". It is also used as a compliment: twalli kif el 3rousa, "you look beautiful like a bride". By extension, it can mean a doll, but many people also say poupée. Note the pronunciation: the first vowel is often swallowed, hence the spelling 3rousa.
Example
العروسة لابسة الكسوة التونسية نهار الحنة
el 3rousa lebsa el keswa ettounsia nhar el 7enna
“The bride is wearing the traditional Tunisian outfit on henna day.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3rousa” but also “3arousa”, “aroussa”, “3roussa” and “3rouss”. 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 “3rousa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “bride, young wife”; “girl of marriageable age”: 3rousa in Moroccan.