dra ذرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“dra” (ذرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning corn (the plant, the kernels).
Meanings
- corn (the plant, the kernels)
- atom, tiny particle (religious register)
Usage
Dra commonly refers to corn: the grilled cobs sold in summer by the roadside or on the beach, canned kernels, cornmeal. It is used as a collective noun, with no plural: "chrit dra" (I bought corn). The sense "atom, tiny particle" comes from classical Arabic. It is mostly heard only in religious or fixed expressions such as "mithqal dhra" (the weight of an atom), taken from the Quran. For breakfast cereals, people also simply say "corn flakes".
Example
شريت ذرة مشوية على البحر.
chrit dra machwiya 3al b7ar.
“I bought grilled corn by the sea.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dra” but also “dhra” and “dhora”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.