aħwa

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ⁧إِخْوَة⁩ (ʔiḵwa, “brothers”). The use also for “sisters” from generic use of the masculine, perhaps reinforced formally by the construct form ħut, which would have been close to *ħwiet, the expected outcome of Arabic ⁧أَخَوات⁩ (ʔaḵawāt).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈaħwa/

Noun

aħwa (construct form ħut)

  1. siblings
    1. plural of ħu (“brother”)
    2. plural of oħt (“sister”)
  2. (ecclesiastical) brethren

Usage notes
  • In order to specify sex in the plural, the appositions subien (“boys”) and bniet (“girls”) are used; see these.
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