hrasa حراسة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“hrasa” (حراسة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning guard, surveillance.
Meanings
- guard, surveillance
- guard duty, security job
Usage
Hrasa refers to the watching over of a place or a person. The word comes from the same root as hares, "guardian". It is heard in the press, with hrasa mchaddda, "reinforced surveillance", but also in everyday life to talk about security work: yekhdem fil-hrasa, "he works in security". The register is neutral. For the night duty of a pharmacy or a doctor, "garde", borrowed from French, is used instead. The word is also used in the military context and for company security guards.
Example
حطولو حراسة قدام الدار
7attoulou 7rasa 9oddem eddar
“They posted a guard in front of his house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hrasa” but also “7rasa”, “hirasa” and “7arasa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.