dheb ذاب
Tunisian Derja · verb
“dheb” (ذاب) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to melt, to dissolve.
Meanings
- to melt, to dissolve
- to waste away, to grow very thin
- to vanish without a trace
Usage
Dheb (present tense yedheb) is said of what melts or dissolves: ice, chocolate, sugar in tea. It is also used for a person who has grown very thin from illness or worry: "dheb", "he melted away". Figuratively, it means to disappear: the expression dheb kil mel7a, "he melted like salt", is said of someone you no longer see. The interdental th is often pronounced "d" or "dh" depending on the region. Common register.
Example
الشكلاطة ذابت في الشمس
ech-chklata dhebet fil chams
“The chocolate melted in the sun.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dheb” but also “deb” and “dhab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.