ma9hour مقهور
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ma9hour” (مقهور) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning eaten up by frustration, gutted.
Meanings
- eaten up by frustration, gutted
- oppressed, humiliated
Usage
Ma9hour expresses deep frustration, made of pent-up anger and powerlessness in the face of an injustice or a disappointment. It is heard in "mat ma9hour", "he died of grief and bitterness", or in an everyday complaint: ena ma9hour, "I'm gutted". The word is much stronger than "sad". The feminine is ma9houra and the corresponding noun is 9ahra. It often comes up in songs and in political or sports commentary. The register is everyday and emotionally charged.
Example
راني مقهور، خدمت العام الكل وما خلصونيش.
rani ma9hour, 5dimt el 3am lkol w ma 5al9ounich.
“I'm gutted: I worked the whole year and they didn't pay me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ma9hour” but also “maqhour”, “mak9hour” and “ma9hor”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.