jettha جثة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jettha” (جثة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning corpse, lifeless body.
Meanings
- corpse, lifeless body
Usage
Jettha means the body of a dead person. The word comes from Standard Arabic. In Tunisia, it is heard in crime and accident reports, on the news, and in conversations about an accident or a death. The register is neutral, slightly formal. In everyday life, to speak of a deceased person with respect, people often prefer el-mayyet or "el-marhoum". It is also used figuratively, as in English, in expressions like "walking over corpses". The pronunciation varies: the th is often pronounced t or s depending on the region.
Example
لقاو جثة في البحر قريب من الشط
l9aw jettha fil b7ar 9rib mel chatt
“They found a corpse in the sea, near the beach.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jettha” but also “jotha”, “jetha” and “jutha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.