qiegħed

• qiegħad

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔɪː.jɛt/
• IPA^(key): /ˈʔɪː.əˤt/ (archaic)
• IPA^(key): /ʔɪːt/, /ʔɛːt/ (contractions; etymology 1 only)

From Arabic قاعِد (qāʕid), present participle of قَعَدَ (qaʕada, “to sit”), whence Maltese qagħad.

qiegħed (feminine qiegħda, plural qegħdin)

1. active participle of qagħad
   1. located; being (in a place or state)
      • 2023, Keith Borg, magħġuna fit-tbenġil, Ede Books, →ISBN:

        din l-għaġla
        ta’ kollox issa
        ta’ iġri u ġerri
        fuq xogħol qiegħed
        il-minġel jitriegħed

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. (of water) stagnant, standing, motionless

      Kien hemm riħa t’ilma qiegħed. ― There was a smell of stagnant water.

   3. (of a person) unemployed

      Ilni qiegħda minn meta Symone keċċietni mill-fabbrika tal-bnadar.

      I have been unemployed since Symone fired me from the flag factory.

   4. used predicatively as a present copula referring to a temporary state (like Spanish estar, but not obligatory)

qiegħed

1. A verbal particle indicating progressive verb tenses

   X’qiegħed tagħmel? – Qiegħed naħsel ħwejġek.

   What are you doing? – I am washing your clothes.

• (more common) qed

From Arabic قَعَّدَ (qaʕʕada), أَقْعَدَ (ʔaqʕada), factitive stems of the verb above.

qiegħed (imperfect jqiegħed, past participle mqiegħed, verbal noun tqegħid)

1. (transitive) to put, to place, to lay

   Synonyms: poġġa, tefa’, xeħet, għamel

   Ħu t-tazzi u qegħidhom fuq il-mejda. ― Take the glasses and put them on the table.