ghamza غمزة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghamza” (غمزة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning wink.
Meanings
- wink
- hint, discreet signal
Usage
Ghamza is a wink, or more broadly a discreet signal to make something understood without saying it. The corresponding verb is ghmez (to wink). The word is known from the proverb "el 7orr bel ghamza wel bhim bel hamza". It means that a well-born person understands from a mere sign, while a donkey needs a goad. Ghamza is also used for a hint slipped into a speech.
Example
عملتلي غمزة باش نسكت
3maltli ghamza bech nouskot
“She gave me a wink so I would keep quiet.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghamza” but also “8amza” and “ghamzza”. 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.
Type “ghamza” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “wink”; “discreet signal, hint”: ghemza in Moroccan.