batta بطة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“batta” (بطة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning duck, drake or female duck.
Meanings
- duck, drake or female duck
- can, metal container
- term of endearment (chubby child or girl)
Usage
Batta primarily means duck; the plural is battat. In everyday use it also means a can or metal container: batta zit, "oil can". It is also used affectionately for a child or a girl with round cheeks, often in the phrase "ya batta". Depending on tone, this use can also become mocking, for someone seen as clumsy or awkward. Context distinguishes the senses. The register is everyday and colloquial.
Example
في الجنينة ثمة بطة وصغارها
fel jnina famma batta w sghirha
“In the garden, there's a duck and her ducklings.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “batta” but also “bata” and “betta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “batta” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “duck”: betta in Moroccan.