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żebagħ. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
żebagħ, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
żebagħ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
żebagħ you have here. The definition of the word
żebagħ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
żebagħ, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Maltese
- żeba’ (variant; see usage notes below)
Etymology
From Arabic صَبَغَ (ṣabaḡa), with generalisation of the regular assimilation → .
Pronunciation
Verb
żebagħ (imperfect jiżbogħ, past participle miżbugħ, verbal noun żbigħ)
- to colour, paint, varnish, dye (apply colour to, in any context)
Usage notes
- There are three sets of realisations for the forms of this verb:
- The older state, retained by some contemporary speakers, is that the devoiced sound /ħ/ is used only in the syllable coda, while għ is vowelised before the endings -et and -u.
- Other speakers have generalised either devoicing or vowelisation, meaning they pronounce all forms of żebagħ with /ħ/, or use the variant żeba’.
Conjugation