amn امن
Tunisian Derja · noun
“amn” (امن) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning security.
Meanings
- security
- security forces, police
- to believe (verb amen)
Usage
In the form amn, the word means security in general (el amn wel aman, peace and security). It also often refers to the security forces: "el amn" or "a3wen el amn" for the officers, "amn ra2esi" for the presidential guard. Written without vowels, it can also correspond to the verb amen, "to believe", especially in a religious context (amen b rabbi, to believe in God). It also appears as an adjective, amen, "safe, without danger", mostly in a written or formal register. Only context resolves the ambiguity.
Example
الأمن جاو بعد ربع ساعة.
el amn jew ba3d roba3 se3a.
“The police arrived a quarter of an hour later.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “amn” but also “amen”, “2amn” and “emn”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.