timssi

Tashelhit

Etymology 1

Inherited from Medieval Tashelhit تِمسِّ (timessi, “fire”), from Proto-Berber *te-məss-e (“fire”).

Compare Kabyle timess (“fire, hell”), Senhaja de Srair ṯimessi, imessi, timsi (“fire”), Tarifit and Central Atlas Tamazight timessi (“fire”), Northern Saharan Berber timsi (“fire, hell”), Tachawit times (“fire”), Siwi temsi (“fire, hell”), Nefusa temsi (“fire, fireplace”), Sokna tímsi (“fire”), Tunisian Berber timsa (“fire”), Tuareg temse, tămse (“fire”) & temăsse (“hell”), and Zenaga tǝmših (“hellfire”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /timsːi/

Noun

timssi f (construct state tmssi, usually uncountable, Tifinagh spelling ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ, Arabic spelling تيمسّي)

1. (Mejjate) fire

   Synonyms: lɛfit, takat

   روْلن يعسّاسن اشكو انّين كولّ ينوكران ترغا ڭيسن تمسّي.

   rwln iɛssasn ašku annin kul inukran trġa gisn tmssi.

   The guards fled because they saw the goats, all with fire on their horns.

2. (Mejjate) light

   Synonym: tifawt

Etymology 2

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Cognate with Kabyle timmist (“boil, carbuncle, pimple”), and Awjila təmasùt (“boil, pimple”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /timsːi/

Noun

timssi f (construct state tmssi, Tifinagh spelling ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ, Arabic spelling تيمسّي)

1. smallpox

   يوت تاسّمي ي يفرخان امار تيمسّي.

   yut tassmi i ifrxan amar timssi.

   he vaccinated children against smallpox.

Derived terms

• bu tmssi (“smallpox patient”)
• gzi timssi (“to vaccinate against smallpox”)
• tiḥbba n tmssi (“smallpox blisters”)

See also

• amaḍun (“patient”)
• aḍbib (“doctor”)
• aṭṭan (“disease”)

References

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 4 t—ẓ (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/4) (in French), Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 2696a