saba'

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See also: saba, Saba, sabá, and säbä

Maltese[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Arabic إِصْبَع (ʔiṣbaʕ).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

saba’ m (dual subgħajn, plural subgħajn or swaba’)

  1. finger
  2. toe
  3. tentacle

Usage notes[edit]

  • Saba' and difer (nail) are the only non-paired body parts in which the original dual is used with a plural sense. With saba', both forms are commonly used interchangeably. Only in very restricted contexts can the dual form still mean “two fingers”. Only the dual form is possible with personal suffixes.

Inflection[edit]

    Inflected forms
Personal-pronoun-
including forms
singular plural
m f
1st person sabgħi sabagħna
2nd person sabgħek sabagħkom
3rd person sabgħu sabagħha sabagħhom