7arth حرث
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7arth” (حرث) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ploughing, tilling of the land.
Meanings
- ploughing, tilling of the land
- ploughing season
Usage
The word 7arth refers to the ploughing of fields. It is a term from the agricultural world, still very much alive in the countryside and among people with a connection to the land. The corresponding verb is 7rath (imperfect ya7roth), "to plough". It appears in several popular proverbs where ploughing serves as an image of patient work whose harvest depends on effort and conditions. In the city, it is heard mainly in these sayings or when talking about the countryside. Note: despite some sources listing it as an adjective, it is a noun.
Example
بابا خرج للحرث مع الفجر
baba khraj lel 7arth m3a el fjar
“Dad went out to plough at dawn.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7arth” but also “harth”. 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.