fewa7 فاوح
Tunisian Derja · verb
“fewa7” (فاوح) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning give off a pleasant smell.
Meanings
- give off a pleasant smell
- spread its fragrance, aroma
Usage
Fewa7 is said of a dish, a perfume, a plant or a room whose smell spreads and can be noticed from afar. The subject is the thing that smells, not the person who perceives it: one says that couscous or jasmine fewa7. The verb is almost always complimentary and is readily used with an intensifier like yhabbel or barcha to stress that the smell is delicious. For a bad smell, other verbs are used. In the present tense, one hears yfewa7. The register is colloquial and common, very present when talking about cooking or perfumes.
Example
الكسكسي فاوح في الدار الكل
el kosksi fewa7 fi eddar el kol
“The couscous aroma fills the whole house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fewa7” but also “fawa7”, “fewah” and “fawah”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.