qawsalla

Maltese

Etymology

Univerbation of qaws Alla, from Arabic قَوْس الله‎ (qaws allāh, “bow of God”), pious alteration of قَوْس قُزَح‎ (qaws quzaḥ), which was named after a pre-Islamic deity, but continues to be the predominant form in Arabic. The plural is formed with a Romance ending. Originally it must have been *qwas Alla; compare qwas, plural of qaws.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔawˈsal.la/

Noun

qawsalla f (plural qawsalli)

rainbow

Related terms

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