primavera

Ultimately from Late Latin prīma vēra (“early spring”), perhaps borrowed from Italian or Neapolitan, considering the stressed vowel outcome (Latin /ē/ yields /i/ in native Sicilian words). Cognates include Spanish primavera and Romanian primăvară.


corda

From Latin chorda (“cord”), from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”).

der

(music) string, cord (of a musical instrument)


acqua

Inherited from Latin aqua (“water”). Cognates include Neapolitan and Italian acqua.


chitarra

Borrowed from Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra), from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára).


Europa

Borrowed from Latin Eurōpa. Doublet of Sicilian Aurupa.

(mythology, Greek mythology) Europa (consort of Zeus, daughter of Agenor)

(mythology, Greek mythology) Europa (daughter of Oceanus and Tethys)


arpa

From Latin harpē (“bird of prey, falcon”), from Ancient Greek ἅρπη (hárpē, “bird of prey, falcon”).


chiavi

→ Maltese: ċavi, ⇒ ċavu

From Latin clāvis, clāvem (“key”). Cognate with Italian chiave.

(music) key (to select notes in wind instruments)


notti

Inherited from Latin noctem, from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.


cafè

→ Maltese: kafè


mmernu

From Vulgar Latin *hīnbernum, a modification of Latin hībernum (tempus).


ogghiu

di jornu nun nni vogghiu e â notti sfardu ogghiu


rumuri

From Latin rūmor, rūmōrem. Compare Italian rumore (“noise”).


sonu

soni (plural)
sona (plural)
sònura (plural)

From Latin sonus (“sound”). Compare Italian suono.


scrusciu

→ Italian: scruscio (regional)

Uncertain. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *trosciare, from Lombardic *trausjan (“precipitate (referred to water)”), cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gadrausjan). Compare Italian scroscio, Piedmontese scrussi.


ciumi

→ Italian: ciumi (regional)

Inherited from Latin flūmen. Compare Neapolitan sciummo, Italian fiume.


mastru

Vulgarization of majistru, from the accusative of Latin magister. The stressed syllable shift could be explained with the conflation with a cognate variant, like the Catalan mestre. Compare Corsican maestru, French maitre, Ligurian méistro, Italian maestro, Sardinian maistru, Spanish maese.


virdi

From Vulgar Latin virdis, syncopated from Classical Latin viridis. Cf. Italian verde.


nìvuru

head

nìvuru (feminine singular nìvura, masculine and feminine plural nìvuri)

nìvura (feminine singular)
nìvuri (feminine masculine plural)

Dialectal variant of nìguru with a labiodental consonant interposed, from the epenthesis of Latin nigrum, accusative of niger.


nìuru

nìuru (feminine singular nìura, masculine and feminine plural nìuri)

nìura (feminine singular)
nìuri (feminine masculine plural)

Variant of nìguru without the etymological ⟨g⟩, from the epenthesis of Latin nigrum, accusative of niger.


argentu

From Latin argentum, from Proto-Italic *argentom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥ǵn̥tóm. Cognates include Italian argento and French argent.


uraganu

Borrowed from Spanish huracán (“hurricane”).


Plutarcu

[plʊ̠ˈt̪äːɾ.kʊ̠]

From Latin Plūtarchus, from Ancient Greek Πλούτᾰρχος (Ploútarkhos).

A male given name of historical usage, equivalent to English Plutarch, notably borne by Luciu Mestriu Plutarcu of Chaeronea (Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, ca. 46 – 120 C.E.), a celebrated Graeco-Roman philosopher, historian, biographer, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi; best known for his Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, a biographical series commonly referred to as Plutarch's Parallel Lives.


jarrusu

From Arabic عَرُوسَة (ʕarūsa). Compare Maltese għarusa.

(offensive, vulgar) A man considered weak, effeminate, timid, pathetic, emotional, non-heteronormative in some way


staggiuni

→ Maltese: staġun

From Latin stātiōnem, the accusative singular of stātiō. Doublet of stazzioni.


beḍḍu

beḍḍu (feminine singular beḍḍa, masculine and feminine plural beḍḍi)

beḍḍa (feminine singular)
beḍḍi (feminine masculine plural)
beḍḍu (masculine singular)
beḍḍa (feminine singular)
beḍḍi (masculine plural)
beḍḍi (feminine plural)

From Latin bellus, a diminutive of bonus (“good”).

Sta casa è beḍḍa.


tulimaicu

tulimaicu (feminine singular tulimaica, masculine and feminine plural tulimaici)

tulimaica (feminine singular)
tulimaici (feminine masculine plural)
tulimaicu (masculine singular)
tulimaica (feminine singular)
tulimaici (masculine plural)
tulimaici (feminine plural)

[t̪ʊ.lɪˈmäɪ̯.kʊ̠]

Borrowed from Latin Ptolemāicus from Koine Greek Πτολεμᾱϊκός (Ptolemāïkós) from Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaîos), a proper name derived from Epic Greek πτόλεμος (ptólemos), variant of Ancient Greek πόλεμος (pólemos, “battle, war”); equivalent to Tulumeu + -icu. Compare Italian tolemaico, Spanish ptolemaico, Portuguese ptolomaico, French ptolémaïque.

der

(history, astronomy) Ptolemaic; pertaining to Ptolemy, the Ptolemies dynasty, or the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt (305 BC – 30 BC).


chiummu

→ Maltese: ċomb

Inherited from Latin plumbum (“lead”). Compare Italian piombo and Neapolitan chiummo.

acchiummari

to plumb, to use a plumb bob as an aligning tool

caminari cu li pedi di chiummu

to proceed with caution (literally, “to walk with lead feet”)


stiḍḍa

Italian: Stidda

Maltese: stilla

From Latin stēlla, from Proto-Italic *stērolā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

(astronomy) A luminous celestial body, made up of plasma (particularly hydrogen and helium) and having a spherical shape. Depending on context the sun may or may not be included.


cugnu

→ Italian: cugno, Cugno

From Latin cuneus. Compare Galician cuño, Portuguese cunho and cunha, Spanish cuño and cuña, Italian cuneo and conio.

Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.

(music) A hairpin, an elongated horizontal V-shaped sign indicating a crescendo or decrescendo.


Circi

(Greek mythology) An enchantress who turned Odysseus' men into pigs.

(astronomy) 34 Circe, a main belt asteroid.


prèula

Inherited from Latin pergula. Compare Italian pergola.

(viticulture) a framework that supports vine, a trellis


fucularu

scn-noun

fucularu m (plural fuculari or fuculara)

→ Maltese: fuklar, foklar, foglar

From Vulgar Latin *focolarium. Compare Italian focolaio and focolare.


vilenu

Ultimately from Latin venēnum. In this form, perhaps borrowed from Italian veleno.


virruggiu

Near-synonyms: tràpanu, virrina

large auger, gimlet (especially winemaking)


maggiuri

head

maggiuri (feminine singular maggiuri, masculine and feminine plural maggiuri)

maggiuri (feminine singular)
maggiuri (feminine masculine plural)

From Latin maior. Compare Italian maggiore.


vaḍḍu

From Latin vallum (“wall, rampart, entrenchment, palisade”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Catalan val, Galician and Portuguese valo, Spanish valla, Italian vallo. Compare also English wall.

der

(historical, Ancient Rome) the wooden fence built at the top of a rampart

(historical, Ancient Rome, loosely) rampart, bulwark