mou7afedh محافظ
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mou7afedh” (محافظ) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning conservative, traditionalist.
Meanings
- conservative, traditionalist
- governor (of the central bank)
- preserving, keeping
Usage
The word mou7afedh comes from Standard Arabic but is very common in Tunisia. As an adjective, it describes a person, a family or a milieu attached to traditions and religious values: 3ayla mou7afdha, "a conservative family". As a noun, it mainly means the governor of the Central Bank (mou7afedh el bank el markazi), a sense often seen in the news. Be careful not to confuse it with the governor of a region, which is wali in Tunisia. Followed by 3la, it means "who preserves" or "who keeps" something.
Example
هو راجل محافظ وما يحبش البدع.
houwa rajel mou7afedh w ma y7ebbech el bida3.
“He's a conservative man and doesn't like innovations.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mou7afedh” but also “mo7afedh”, “mohafedh” and “mou7afadh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.