bahet باهت

Tunisian Derja · adjective

“bahet” (باهت) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning stunned, frozen, speechless.

Meanings

1. stunned, frozen, speechless
2. dull, pale (colour)

Usage

Bahet first describes a person struck dumb with astonishment, who stays motionless and silent in front of some news or a sight. It is often found with "qa3ed" or "bqa": "qa3ed bahet", "bqa bahet", meaning "left speechless". The feminine is bahta. The second sense concerns a dull, washed-out colour or light, without brightness: "lawn bahet". Pitfall: English "pale" does not capture the first sense, which is the most common one for a person. It is better translated as "dumbfounded" or "dumbstruck".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bahet” but also “bahit” and “baheth”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “bahet” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “pale, dull (color)”; “washed-out, faded”: bahet in Moroccan.