zina زينة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“zina” (زينة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning decoration, ornament.
Meanings
- decoration, ornament
- beauty, adornment
Usage
Zina refers to whatever beautifies: festive decorations, garlands, ornaments for a house or a wedding hall. For example: "zina mta3 Ramadhan" or "3amlou zina fel 7ouma". In a more literary or sung register, the word means "beauty, adornment". Zina is also a fairly common female first name, which explains many of its occurrences online. Do not confuse it with mezyena, the common adjective for "beautiful, pretty". The related verb is zayyen, "to decorate, to beautify".
Example
علّقوا الزينة في الحومة قبل العيد
3alljou ezzina fel 7ouma 9bal el 3id
“They hung the decorations in the neighbourhood before Eid.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zina” but also “zeina” and “ziina”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.