mtaycha مطيشة

Tunisian Derja · adjective

“mtaycha” (مطيشة) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning thrown, left lying around.

Meanings

1. thrown, left lying around
2. abandoned, neglected
3. dishevelled, sloppily dressed

Usage

Mtaycha is the feminine form of mtayech, the past participle of the verb tayech, "to throw". It describes an object left anywhere ("el 7aja mtaycha 9oddemi") or work left unfinished. Applied to a person, it means they are untidy or dressed carelessly. Pitfall: the English gloss "tomato" corresponds to Moroccan or Algerian usage. In Tunisia, a tomato is called tmatem, and mtaycha does not have this meaning. The word is colloquial and still common in speech.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mtaycha” but also “mtayecha” and “mtaicha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “mtaycha” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “tomato”; “tomato paste, tomato sauce”: maticha in Moroccan.