degla دڨلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“degla” (دڨلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning dates, especially deglet nour.
Meanings
- dates, especially deglet nour
- fine dates, symbol of sweetness
Usage
Degla refers to dates, in particular the deglet nour variety, the most renowned of the Tunisian South. The noun is used collectively: kilo degla, "a kilo of dates". It appears in affectionate wishes like sbe7ek degla w 7lib, "may your morning be dates and milk", that is, sweet and prosperous. For an English speaker, the pitfall is that degla points to a quality of date, while tmar remains more general. The two words often overlap in everyday speech.
Example
شريت كيلو دڨلة من السوق
chrit kilo degla mel souk
“I bought a kilo of dates at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “degla” but also “dagla”, “deglet” and “dgla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.