dagħbien

Maltese

Alternative forms
  • degħbien, dogħbien

Etymology

Derived from Arabic دَعَبَ‎ (daʕaba, “to thrust, push”, and of wind or water “to be violent”). The sense “abyss” then probably from the violent currents at the bottom of a steep coast, transferred to the coast itself.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /daˈbɪːn/
  • IPA(key): /daˤːˈbɪːn/ (archaic)

Noun

dagħbien m (plural dgħaben)

  1. whirlwind
  2. abyss, chasm, cleft
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