ghrab غراب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ghrab” (غراب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning crow, raven.
Meanings
- crow, raven
- bearer of bad luck
Usage
Ghrab refers to the raven or the crow. The plurals are "ghorban" and "ghirban". As elsewhere in the Arab world, the bird is believed to herald misfortune. Calling someone "ghrab" amounts to calling them a bird of ill omen or a killjoy, so the term can offend. It is also used to mock someone who is very dark-skinned or very ugly. You sometimes hear "kif el ghrab" to stress a very black color.
Example
فما غراب واقف على الحيط.
famma ghrab we9ef 3al 7it.
“There is a crow perched on the wall.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghrab” but also “ghorab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ghrab” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “crow, raven”: ghrab in Moroccan.