bey باي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bey” (باي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bey, ruler of Tunisia.
Meanings
- bey, ruler of Tunisia
Usage
Bey is the title of the former rulers of Tunisia, until the end of the monarchy. It is used mostly with the article: el bey. It appears in historical accounts, in place names and in expressions such as zmen el bey, "in the time of the beys", meaning "a very long time ago". The derivative beylik refers to the beylical state or administration. The spelling bay can be confused with "bye", borrowed from English to say goodbye. They are two distinct words.
Example
زرنا قصر الباي
zorna 9sar el bey
“We visited the bey's palace.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bey” but also “bay” and “bei”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.