5it خيط
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5it” (خيط) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning thread (sewing).
Meanings
- thread (sewing)
- string, fishing line
Usage
5it means first of all sewing thread, often paired with the needle (ibra): "ibra w 5it". It is also used for string, fishing line or a spider's thread ("5it el 3ankabout"). The usual plural is 5youta. The related verb 5ayyet means to sew. For electric wire, fil, borrowed from French, is also heard. Figuratively, "5it rfi3" (a thin thread) evokes a fine line between two things.
Example
عطيني إبرة وخيط نخيّط السروال.
a3tini ibra w 5it n5ayyet esserwel.
“Give me a needle and thread so I can mend the trousers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5it” but also “khit”, “5iit” and “kheet”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “5it” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “thread (for sewing)”; “string, cord”: khit in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “thread (for sewing)”; “string, cord”: khit in Algerian.