malta
/ˈmɑl.tə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.54 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
An archipelago and country in Southern Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea. Official name: Republic of Malta. Capital: Valletta.
name
The largest island in the Maltese Archipelago.
name
A small city, the county seat of Phillips County, Montana, United States.
name
A town and hamlet therein, in Saratoga County, New York, United States.
Example Sentences
- "Over the following decades, the EEC became the European Union, and expanded from the original six nations to today’s 27 members, from Finland in the north to Malta in the south."
- "And so far just two member states, Malta and Finland, are on track to meet their resettling obligations."
- "I toasted him with my glass of malta."
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek Μελίτη (Melítē)bor. Latin Melitabor. Arabic مَالْطَا (mālṭā) Maltese Maltabor. Italian Maltabor. English Malta Borrowed from Italian and Maltese Malta, from Arabic مَالِطَا (māliṭā), from Latin Melita, from Ancient Greek Μελίτη (Melítē), apparently from μέλι (méli, “honey”) + -η (-ē, “-a: forming feminine place names”) although its use for the island of Malta is considered uncertain. Some scholars consider it to represent the importance of the islands' indigenous bees and their output. Others consider it a transcription of Phoenician 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “Grand Harbor, Cospicua”), from 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “refuge, port”), reapplied first to the island and then, after the Punic Wars, to its Roman seat of government at Mdina. Note however that Latin Malta is already attested in some medieval manuscripts of the Antonine Itinerary. See Wikipedia's articles on Melite and Malta. Doublet of Meleda and Mljet.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɑl.tə/
- British English: /ˈmɒl.tə/
Usage
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Countries of the world
Malta Island