Lalla (title)

Lalla is an honorific title meaning 'lady', 'my lady', 'miss' or 'Mrs', used in the Maghreb to politely address or refer to any woman. In Morocco, if a woman is known to the speaker, they would address her as 'Lalla' followed by her personal or family name. In Mauritania, Lalla is often used on its own as a first name for women. It is also sometimes used with another noun to form a compound name, such as in the names Lalla Aicha and Lalla Meryem. The title 'Lalla' has long been used by royal families in Morocco and Tunisia to refer to princesses and the consorts of kings. It is also used as an honorary title in combination with a woman's personal name, signifying distinction among women of royal or noble families in the Maghreb. In many place names and mausoleums in the Maghreb, Lalla can also mean "female saint". In colloquial Amazigh, the word lalla can mean "older sister", "older female cousin", "aunt", "mother-in-law", and so on. Dialectal varieties of the word include Řalla and Řadja, but Lalla is the most common form. It is derived from the Amazigh noun alallu, meaning 'dignity', and the Berber verb lullet, meaning 'to be free' or 'to be noble'. The Amazigh word tilelli, meaning 'freedom', is also related to this semantic field. 'Smiyet' (also spelled 'Smiyit') is a reverent term of address for a daughter who shares the same name as her mother or grandmother. The masculine versions of the Moroccan title 'Lalla' are: Moulay and Sidi (of Arabic origin) and Mass, Dda, and Dadda (of Amazigh origin). These titles are given to princes, chieftains, saints, or respected men in society or within a family.