ghoula غولة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghoula” (غولة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ogress, monster of folktales.
Meanings
- ogress, monster of folktales
- scourge, devastating calamity
- obsession, fixed idea
Usage
Ghoula is the female creature of folktales, an ogress who devours people. She is invoked to scare children. By extension, the word refers to a scourge that ravages everything: dkhalet fiha ghoula, "a scourge has struck it". In dkhal fi mokhou ghoula, it means an obsession or fear that takes hold of someone. It is also used, pejoratively and informally, for a woman considered ugly or mean. It should therefore be used with caution when talking about a person.
Example
جدتي كانت تحكيلنا على الغولة قبل ما نرقدو
jedti kenet t7kilna 3al ghoula 9bal ma nor9dou
“My grandmother used to tell us the story of the ogress before we went to sleep.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghoula” but also “ghola” and “8oula”. 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.