dhol ذل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dhol” (ذل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning humiliation, abasement.
Meanings
- humiliation, abasement
- misery, degrading condition
Usage
The noun dhol (often pronounced with an emphatic d) means humiliation and the condition of someone who suffers contempt or dependence. It is frequently associated with poverty, in expressions such as edhol wel fa9r ("humiliation and poverty"). It appears in complaints about the cost of living, administrative procedures or depending on others: 3ichet edhol ("a life of humiliation"). The tone is serious and often indignant. The corresponding adjective is dhlil ("humiliated, wretched"). The word is understood everywhere and works equally well in speech and in writing.
Example
خير نموت ولا نعيش في الذل.
5ir nmout wala n3ich fi edhol.
“I'd rather die than live in humiliation.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhol” but also “dhel”, “dhoul” and “zol”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.