khima خيمة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“khima” (خيمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning tent.
Meanings
- tent
- marquee, event tent
Usage
Khima refers to a tent, whether the traditional tent of the nomads of the South or a camping tent. It is also used for the large marquee put up for a wedding, a mourning gathering, or a Ramadan evening, where drinks are served and music is played. It is a feminine noun and its plural is khiyem. One says nasbou khima for "they put up a tent." In the South, the word also evokes the Bedouin way of life and the hospitality that goes with it.
Example
نصبنا خيمة قدام الدار للعرس.
nsabna khima 9odem eddar lel 3ors.
“We put up a tent in front of the house for the wedding.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khima” but also “khaima”, “kheima” and “5ima”. 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 “khima” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “tent (camping, shelter)”; “large reception tent”: khima in Moroccan.