mhawel مهول
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mhawel” (مهول) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning huge, considerable.
Meanings
- huge, considerable
- frightening, dreadful
- awesome (slang)
Usage
Mahoul (or mhawel in speech) describes something of impressive scale. It appears in a formal register, on the radio or in the press: tkathor mahoul, "an enormous proliferation", or zal7a mahoula, "a terrible earthquake". In young people's informal speech, mhawel or mhawla serves as praise: "awesome, great". Context shows whether the word expresses fear or admiration. The feminine is mahoula or mhawla.
Example
كان فما زحمة مهولة في الطريق.
ken famma za7ma mahoula fi tri9.
“There was a huge traffic jam on the road.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mhawel” but also “mahoul”, “mahoula”, “mhawla” and “mahool”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.