jbena جبانة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jbena” (جبانة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning cemetery.
Meanings
- cemetery
- coward (feminine)
Usage
Jbena (or jabbana) is the common word for "cemetery" in Tunisia. It is clearly preferred to ma9bra, which is more literary. It is used in phrases such as mcha lel jbena, "to go to the cemetery" (a burial, a visit to graves), or with the name of the place: jbenet el 3in. The same word written in Arabic can be read jabana, the feminine of jaben, "coward"; only context can decide. The "cemetery" sense is the most frequent in speech. It also appears in figurative expressions about silence or death.
Example
مشينا للجبّانة نزوروا قبر جدّي
mchina lel jbena nzourou 9bar jeddi
“We went to the cemetery to pay our respects at my grandfather's grave.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jbena” but also “jabbena”, “jabena”, “jbana” and “jabbana”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.