ĥalifo
Esperanto
Etymology
Phonetic derivation from Arabic خَلِيفَة (ḵalīfa, “caliph”) and خَلِيف (ḵalīf, “successor”). As there are many words containing ĥ that have alternative forms replacing it with k, this unofficial form of kalifo may have been created by analogy or hypercorrection.
Pronunciation
Noun
ĥalifo (accusative singular ĥalifon, plural ĥalifoj, accusative plural ĥalifojn)
- (nonstandard) Alternative spelling of kalifo.
Usage notes
Though unofficial, this form is often preferred to kalifo due to its closer phonetic resemblance to the original Arabic.