khatem خاتم
Tunisian Derja · noun
“khatem” (خاتم) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ring.
Meanings
- ring
- wedding or engagement ring
Usage
Khatem refers to a ring of any kind. It is very present in the vocabulary of engagement and marriage: khatem el khotba, "the engagement ring," given at the ceremony called khotba. The plural is khwatem. A gold ring is khatem dheb, a silver ring khatem fadha. One puts on a ring with lbes, "to wear": lebset el khatem. For the metal ring of an object or a technical washer, other words are used; khatem refers mainly to the piece of jewellery.
Example
عطاها خاتم ذهب نهار الخطوبة.
3tatha khatem dheb nhar el khotba.
“He gave her a gold ring on the day of the engagement.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khatem” but also “5atem”, “khatm” and “khatim”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khatem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “ring”; “wedding ring (khatem dyal zwaj)”: khatem in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “ring, band”; “seal, stamp”: khatem in Algerian.