sem سم
Tunisian Derja · noun
“sem” (سم) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning poison, venom.
Meanings
- poison, venom
- something very harmful (figurative)
Usage
The word semm means poison in the literal sense: that of a snake, a scorpion, a toxic substance, or certain inedible fish. It is also used figuratively for anything harmful: cigarettes, overly fatty food, or a malicious person ("klemou semm", his words are poison). In an argument, it appears in curses like "semm!", close to "may it poison you!". Be careful not to confuse it with the verb sammi, "to name" or "to say bismillah", which is written with the same letters in Arabic.
Example
الدخان سم، بطّلو خير.
eddoukhan semm, battlou khir.
“Cigarettes are poison, you're better off quitting.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sem” but also “semm”, “sam” and “samm”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “sem” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “poison, venom”; “bitter, unpleasant thing”: sem in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “poison”; “venom”: semm in Algerian.