khrab خراب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“khrab” (خراب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning ruin, destruction.
Meanings
- ruin, destruction
- disaster, great mess
Usage
Khrab refers to the ruin or destruction of a place, a house, a country, and more broadly a state of disaster. Of a dilapidated place one says "wallet khrab" (it has become a ruin). Figuratively, the word describes a catastrophic situation: "khrab el bled" (the ruin of the country). It belongs to the same family as khreb ("to be destroyed, to break down") and khrab, the adjective "mkharrab" (damaged, broken down). The word is common in all registers and often has a dramatic or indignant tone.
Example
الدار هاذي ولّات خراب
eddar hedhi wallet khrab
“This house has become a ruin.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khrab” but also “5rab” and “kharab”. 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.