marma مرمة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“marma” (مرمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning construction work, masonry.
Meanings
- construction work, masonry
- wreck, sorry state (figurative)
Usage
Marma refers to the construction or renovation work on a house, and more broadly to the building trade. One says yekhdem fil marma of someone who works as a laborer or mason on building sites, and one speaks of the marma when a family builds or extends its house. Figuratively, rajja3 marma or raddouh marma describes a person or thing left in a sorry state, damaged or wrecked. It is a colloquial, everyday word. Note: it has nothing to do with marble or with the French "marmite", despite the similar sounds.
Example
خويا يخدم في المرمة من الصباح للعشية.
khouya yekhdem fil marma mel sbe7 lel 3chiya.
“My brother works on building sites from morning to evening.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “marma” but also “marrma”, “merma” and “marmma”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.