yatim يتيم
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“yatim” (يتيم) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning orphan, deprived of parent(s).
Meanings
- orphan, deprived of parent(s)
- lone, isolated, unique
Usage
Ytim is used as both an adjective and a noun: "howa ytim" (he is an orphan), "el ytim" (the orphan). The feminine is ytima, the usual plural ytéma. The deceased parent is often specified with a complement: "ytim el omm" (motherless), "ytim el bou" (fatherless). The word is in general use and belongs to all registers. It often appears in religious and charitable expressions, for example in appeals for donations to orphans during Ramadan. In a rarer figurative sense, it describes something left alone or unique of its kind.
Example
هو يتيم الأم من وقتلي كان صغير
howa ytim el omm mel wa9t elli kén sghir
“He has been motherless since he was little.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yatim” but also “yetim”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “yatim” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “orphan”: yatim in Moroccan.