dewa داوى
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dewa” (داوى) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to treat, nurse a sick person.
Meanings
- to treat, nurse a sick person
- to treat with a remedy
Usage
The verb dewa means to treat someone or care for a wound or illness, with remedies or through attentive care. It is often used for parents looking after their sick children, or for traditional remedies: dewah bel 3cheb (he treated him with plants). It is related to the noun dwa (medicine). The reflexive form tdewa means to treat oneself, to follow a treatment. Everyday register. For the intransitive sense of recovering, bra or tchfa is used instead.
Example
أمّو داوات جرحو بالملح.
ommou dewat jor7ou bel mel7.
“His mother treated his wound with salt.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dewa” but also “dawa”, “dewé”, “dawé” and “dewat”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dewa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written داوا, where it means “to treat, cure a patient”; “to heal, get treated (tdawa)”: dawa in Moroccan.