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maħafi. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
maħafi, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
maħafi in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Maltese
Etymology
Univerbation of ma’ (“with”) + *ħaf (“fear”) + -i, literally “with fear”, *ħaf is possibly the verbal noun of hypothetical form I *ħaf from خَافَ (ḵāfa, “to fear”). Perhaps *ħaf has merged or superseded by ħaf (“to roam”), itself from a metathesis of Arabic حَفِيَ (ḥafiya, “to walk barefoot”). Compare the same in Arabic مَعَ خَوْف (maʕa ḵawf).
Pronunciation
Noun
maħafi m (obsolete)
- fear
- Synonym: biża’
Hemm bżonn li meta taqsam it-triq, dan tagħmlu bil-maħafi.- Literally: There is need that when you cross the road, you do it with fear.
- It is necessary that when you cross the road, you do so with caution.