dob دب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dob” (دب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bear.
Meanings
- bear
- heavy, clumsy person
Usage
Dobb means "bear", an animal one sees in Tunisia only in zoos, books and cartoons. It appears in specific names: dobb abyedh for the polar bear, or ed-dobb el-asghar for the Little Bear (Ursa Minor). Jokingly, one can call a stocky, heavy or clumsy person a dobb. It is a familiar teasing remark that can offend depending on the tone. For a teddy bear, people rather say nounours. The plural is dbab.
Example
شفنا دب كبير في الزو
chefna dobb kbir fel zoo
“We saw a big bear at the zoo.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dob” but also “dobb”, “debb”, “dib” and “dub”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dob” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “bear (animal)”; “now (short spelling of daba)”: dobb in Moroccan.