7ajeb حاجب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7ajeb” (حاجب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning eyebrow.
Meanings
- eyebrow
- blocker; something that masks
- chamberlain, usher (historical)
Usage
In everyday speech, 7ajeb means the eyebrow; the plural is 7wejeb. Common expressions are "rfa3 7ajbou", "he raised an eyebrow", and "7wejbha m9addsin", "her eyebrows are plucked". The word also has the sense of "something that hides or blocks", for example "7ajeb el mawa9i3", a website "blocker" on the Internet. Historically, it designated the chamberlain of the beylical court. It is found in the place name Hajeb El Ayoun. Note: the spelling 7ajb can also write 7ajb, "blocking, censorship".
Example
رفع حاجبو كيف سمع الخبر
rfa3 7ajbou kif sma3 el khbar
“He raised an eyebrow when he heard the news.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ajeb” but also “hajeb”, “7ajb”, “7ajib” and “hajib”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7ajeb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “eyebrow”; “chamberlain (historical sense)”: 7ajeb in Moroccan.