mal9at ملقاط
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mal9at” (ملقاط) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning tweezers.
Meanings
- tweezers
- tongs, pincers
Usage
Mal9at refers first to small tweezers, used mainly for the eyebrows. This is the most common everyday sense, tied to beauty care. By extension, the word can refer to any pincer used to grasp a small object, for example tongs for embers or for picking up something hot. It is distinguished from koleb or "pince" for DIY tools. The plural is mlage9. Many Tunisians also simply say "pince", the French word.
Example
عطيني الملقاط نصلّح حواجبي.
a3tini el mal9at nsala7 7wejbi.
“Hand me the tweezers so I can fix my eyebrows.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mal9at” but also “malkat”, “mol9at”, “mal9et” and “malqat”. 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.