dhalma ظلمة

Tunisian Derja · noun

“dhalma” (ظلمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning darkness, gloom.

Meanings

1. darkness, gloom
2. oppressors (plural of dhālem)

Usage

Dhalma means "darkness, gloom". It is heard mostly in a formal or religious register: dhalmet el qbar, "the darkness of the grave", or figuratively, "the darkness of error". To say simply that it is dark, derja uses dhlam instead: edhlam, "it's dark"; tfi edhaw, eddenya dhlam, "turn off the light, it's dark". The same spelling is also read as dhalama, plural of dhālem, "oppressor, unjust person", frequent in invocations such as rabbi yé5edh el 7a9 mel dhalma. The meaning is deduced from context.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhalma” but also “dholma” and “dhoulma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “dhalma” on the Arabic keyboard