mechmech مشماش
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mechmech” (مشماش) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning apricot.
Meanings
- apricot
- apricot tree
Usage
Mechmech is the common word for apricot in Tunisia. It is a collective noun: it refers to the fruit in general, as one would say "some apricot". For a single unit, one says 7abbet mechmech or mechmcha. The same word is used for the tree, often specified as chajret mechmech. One also speaks of apricot jam, mrabbet mechmech, and dried apricots, mechmech yebes. It is a typical early-summer fruit, very common in markets at that season. The word is neutral and used in all registers.
Example
شريت كيلو مشماش من السوق.
chrit kilo mechmech mel sou9.
“I bought a kilo of apricots at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mechmech” but also “mechmach”, “mishmish”, “mechmeche” and “mashmash”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mechmech” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “apricot”; “apricot tree”: mchmach in Moroccan.