marsa مرسى
Tunisian Derja · noun
“marsa” (مرسى) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning harbour, small fishing port.
Meanings
- harbour, small fishing port
- docking place, anchorage
Usage
Marsa refers to a port, especially a modest fishing or marina port. It is often heard in "marsa essayadin" (the fishermen's port). For large commercial facilities, people rather say "el port", a very common borrowing from French. The word is masculine and used with the article: "el marsa". Note: "La Marsa" is also a town in Tunis's northern suburbs. Context usually distinguishes the common noun from the place name, but an English speaker could easily confuse the two.
Example
نمشيو للمرسى نشريو الحوت طازة
nemchiw lel marsa nechriw el 7out taza
“We're going to the port to buy fresh fish.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “marsa” but also “mersa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “marsa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “port, harbour”; “harbour area, waterfront”: mersa in Moroccan.