babour بابور
Tunisian Derja · noun
“babour” (بابور) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ship, boat.
Meanings
- ship, boat
- ferry
Usage
Bebbour, often written babour, is the usual word for a large boat: ship, liner, ferry. It is used notably for crossings between Tunisia and Europe, for example jé fel babour ("he came by boat"). The plural is bwabeur. For a small fishing boat, flouka is used instead. The word is colloquial and used in all circles. Members of the diaspora often hear it in connection with summer returns via Marseille or Genoa.
Example
جينا في البابور من مرسيليا.
jina fel babour men marsilia.
“We came by ship from Marseille.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “babour” but also “baboor”, “bebbour” and “babor”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “babour” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “boat, ship”; “steamship, ferry”: babor in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “ship, boat”; “ferry, passenger liner”: babour in Algerian.