ghamda غمضة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghamda” (غمضة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning short nap, brief sleep.
Meanings
- short nap, brief sleep
- blink, very brief moment
- act of closing the eyes
Usage
Ghamda is the single-occurrence noun derived from the verb ghammadh, "to close the eyes". The most common meaning is a short nap: 3mel ghamda means "to take a nap". Used with a negation, the word expresses sleeplessness: ma rgadtech ghamda means "I didn't sleep a wink". The expression ghamdet 3in, "a blink of an eye", refers to a very brief moment: fi ghamdet 3in, "in the blink of an eye". The word belongs to the informal, everyday register. Note: it is not a knowing wink, which is rather called ghamza.
Example
نمشي نعمل غمضة صغيرة قبل ما نخرج
nemchi na3mel ghamda sghira 9bal ma nokhrej
“I'm going to take a short nap before going out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghamda” but also “8amda” and “ghamdha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.