dou5a دوخة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dou5a” (دوخة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning dizziness, lightheadedness.
Meanings
- dizziness, lightheadedness
- motion sickness
- faintness, nausea
Usage
Dou5a refers to the sensation of a spinning head or the faintness felt after heatstroke, hunger or fatigue: "jetni dou5a", "I felt dizzy". The word appears in fixed expressions: dou5et el ba7r ("seasickness"), dou5et el karhba ("carsickness"), dou5et el jaw ("airsickness"). It comes from the same root as the verb de5 ("to feel dizzy") and the adjective dey5 ("dizzy"). Figuratively, it can describe a state of confusion, of being mixed up. The register is everyday and neutral.
Example
قمت من الفرش جاتني دوخة
9omt mel ferch jetni dou5a
“When I got out of bed, I felt dizzy.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dou5a” but also “dawkha” and “dw5a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.