louben لبان
Tunisian Derja · noun
“louben” (لبان) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning chewing gum.
Meanings
- chewing gum
- frankincense resin
Usage
Louben primarily means chewing gum. One says "ya3lek fi louben" about someone chewing gum, often with a nuance of carelessness or rudeness. The word also refers to the aromatic resin, frankincense, which is chewed or burned, but this sense is rarer. Pitfall for an English speaker: louben is distinct from lben, fermented milk, which is sometimes written similarly in Arabic. The pronunciation, with or without a long vowel after the b, distinguishes them.
Example
عطيني حبة لبان.
a3tini 7abba louben.
“Give me a piece of chewing gum.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “louben” but also “loubén”, “luben” and “lben”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.