dhbi7a ذبيحة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dhbi7a” (ذبيحة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning slaughtered animal, sacrificial beast.
Meanings
- slaughtered animal, sacrificial beast
- sacrifice offered for a vow
- carnage, massacre (figurative)
Usage
Dhbi7a refers to an animal that is slaughtered, usually a sheep, goat or calf, on the occasion of a feast, a birth, a vow or a visit to a saint. The word comes from the verb dhba7, "to slaughter". It appears in the proverb "3ayta w chhoud 3la dhbi7at ganfoud", "shouts and witnesses for the slaughter of a hedgehog", which mocks someone who makes a lot of noise over little. Figuratively, it is sometimes used for a massacre or a heavy defeat. Depending on the region, it is pronounced dhbi7a or dbi7a. It is not the usual word for the Eid sheep, which is rather called 3allouch.
Example
عملوا ذبيحة كي جاهم ولد
3amlou dhbi7a ki jéhom wled
“They slaughtered an animal when a boy was born to them.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhbi7a” but also “dbi7a”, “dhbiha” and “dbiha”. 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.