żagħżugħ

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic زَعْزُوع (zaʕzūʕ, “thin, meagre, lanky”) or a variant of it. There exists also a form زُغْزُغ (zuḡzuḡ, “short, small”) and the Maltese plural żgħażagħ, instead of *żgħaża', would suggest that the original Arabic consonant was probably غ (ḡ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zaˈzuːħ/
• IPA^(key): /zaˤːˈzuːħ/ (archaic)

Adjective

1. young

Antonyms

• xiħ

Derived terms

• żgħożija

Noun

1. adolescent or young man; youth

Usage notes

• The plural żgħażagħ usually includes females. The plural subien is used to specify the masculine.

Coordinate terms

• tfajla
• xebba