xenqa

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic شَنْق (šanq, “longing, yearning”). The senses of the root are generally related to binding and hanging, today chiefly as a form of execution. Perhaps the relevant sense can be derived thence from the idea that a person’s heart is bound and suffocating, or alternatively from accelerated breathing and moaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛn.ʔa/

Noun

xenqa f (plural xenqat or xenqiet)

1. desire, yearning, longing, craving, urge

Related terms

• xxennaq