ghorbel غربال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghorbel” (غربال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning sieve, sifter.
Meanings
- sieve, sifter
- coarse sieve (grains, semolina)
Usage
Ghorbel refers to the round sieve with a wooden or metal frame, used to sift semolina, flour or grains. It is used mainly in the context of traditional cooking (couscous, pastries). The corresponding verb is ghorbel / nghorbel, "to sift". Figuratively, something "holey like a ghorbel" lets everything pass through. Note: Ghorbel is also a very common family name in Tunisia. Depending on context, it may refer to a person and not the utensil.
Example
جيبلي الغربال باش نغربل السميد
jibli el ghorbel bech nghorbel essmid
“Bring me the sieve so I can sift the semolina.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghorbel” but also “gherbal”, “ghorbal”, “8orbel” and “ghirbel”. 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 “ghorbel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “sieve, sifter”: ghorbal in Moroccan.