della3 دلاع
Tunisian Derja · noun
“della3” (دلاع) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning watermelon.
Meanings
- watermelon
Usage
Della3 is a collective noun for watermelon, the emblematic fruit of the Tunisian summer. A whole fruit is della3a, and a slice is 9allma della3. Watch out: in Tunisia, battikh means melon, not watermelon, unlike in other Arab countries. Della3 is often bought at the roadside, chosen by tapping it, and eaten well chilled after the meal.
Example
شريت دلاعة كبيرة للعشاء.
chrit della3a kbira lel 3cha.
“I bought a big watermelon for dinner.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “della3” but also “dela3”, “dellaa”, “della3a” and “dalla3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “della3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “watermelon (fruit)”: della3 in Algerian.