dbe7 دبح
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dbe7” (دبح) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to slaughter (an animal).
Meanings
- to slaughter (an animal)
- to kill, wear out (figurative)
Usage
Dbe7 (also pronounced and written "dhbe7") means "to slaughter", especially the sheep for Eid or poultry. Figuratively, it expresses exhaustion or exasperation. "Dba7ni" thus means "he killed me", i.e. "he wore me out" or "he made me die of laughter". "Dbe7 el 3allouch" means "he slaughtered the sheep". The spelling with d rather than dh reflects a common pronunciation. The corpus context is Egyptian, but the word is fully Tunisian.
Example
بابا دبح العلّوش نهار العيد
baba dbe7 el 3allouch nhar el 3id
“Dad slaughtered the sheep on the day of Eid.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dbe7” but also “dhbe7”, “dba7” and “dab7”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.