ħabrieki
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Maltese
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Belonging to a four-consonantal root of uncertain origin. Most propably an extension of one of the following Arabic roots (or a merger of them):
- Joseph Aquilina linked it with ح ب ك (ḥ-b-k); compare حَبَكَ (ḥabaka, “to tighten, make firm, do properly”).
- Reinhart Dozy linked it with ح ر ك (ḥ-r-k); compare حَرَّكَ (ḥarraka, “to move, make move, urge on”).
- The root خ ب ر (ḵ-b-r) might also be considered; compare خَبِير (ḵabīr, “expert, knowledgeable, experienced”).
More fanciful possibilities include Arabic هَبْرَك (habrak, “young and full-grown”), where the semantics and (to some degree) also the phonetics are problematic; or a derivation from ħa (“to take”) + barka (“blessing”), in the sense of “one who is blessed in his work” (compare Arabic أَخَذَ بَرَكَةً (ʔaḵaḏa barakatan, “to receive blessing, be blessed”)).