ħaf
Maltese
Root |
---|
ħ-w-f |
1 term |
Etymology
Perhaps from a metathesis of Arabic حَفِيَ (ḥafiya, “to walk barefoot; to abrade one’s feet by lengthy walking”). Joseph Aquilina mentions that ħafi (“barefoot”) was also used in the sense of “roamer”, thus preserving here the original participle form. There may have been a merger with حافَ (ḥāfa), يَحُوفُ (yaḥūfu, “to visit”, among other senses), or هافَ (hāfa), يَهِيفُ (yahīfu, “to run away”, of a slave), or some other phonetically related root.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ħaːf/
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