zit زيت
Tunisian Derja · noun
“zit” (زيت) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning oil (cooking).
Meanings
- oil (cooking)
- oil (engine, cosmetic)
Usage
Zit is the usual word for any oil. In cooking, the most frequent specification is "zit zitouna", olive oil, which features heavily in Tunisian cuisine. One also says "zit nabeti" for vegetable oil. The word is also used for non-food oils, for example "zit el-kharwa3" (castor oil) or engine oil. It is most often used without an article, as in "9li fi zit" (to fry in oil), or with the article, "ezzit". Not to be confused with "zitoun", which means the olive or the olive tree.
Example
انا استعملت زيت زيتونة و صحّة و بشفا لكم
Ena esta3malt zit zitouna w sa7a w bechfa likom
“I used olive oil. Enjoy your meal!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zit” but also “zitt”, “zayt” and “ezzit”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “zit” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “oil (cooking, esp. olive oil)”; “engine oil”: zit in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “oil (cooking)”; “olive oil”: zit in Algerian.