isqof

Maltese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi

Proto-Hellenic *epí

Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí)

Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-)

Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti

Proto-Hellenic *sképťomai

Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai)

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Hellenic *-os

Ancient Greek -ος (-os)

Ancient Greek -ός (-ós)

Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós)

Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos)bor.

Classical Syriac ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐ (ʾeppisqoppā)bor.

Arabic أُسْقُف (ʔusquf)

Maltese isqof

Inherited from Arabic أُسْقُف (ʔusquf). One of the specifically Christian words in Maltese that were inherited from Arabic, suggesting that there were Arabic-speaking Christians in Malta during the Islamic reign. Otherwise, the words must have been brought in by missionaries during the re-Christianisation process. These missionaries would probably have been Sicilians who had learnt Arabic, though it is also imaginable that some of them were brought in from Christian communities on the Arabic-speaking mainland.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪs.ʔɔf/
• Rhymes: -ɪsʔɔf

Noun

isqof m (plural isqfijiet)

1. (Christianity) bishop (church official)
2. (chess) bishop (chess piece)

Derived terms

• arċisqof

Related terms

• isqfija