xenqa

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic شَنْق (šanq, “longing, yearning”). The senses of the root are generally related to binding and hanging, today chiefly as a form of execution. Perhaps the relevant sense can be derived thence from the idea that a person’s heart is bound and suffocating, or alternatively from accelerated breathing and moaning.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃɛn.ʔa/

Noun

xenqa f (plural xenqat or xenqiet)

  1. desire, yearning, longing, craving, urge
  • xxennaq
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