keff

keff

Maltese

Root
k-f-f
3 terms

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛf/
• Rhymes: -ɛf

Etymology 1

From Arabic كَفّ‎ (kaff).

Noun

keff m (plural kfief or kfuf or keffejn)

1. (usually in the construction keff tal-id) palm of the hand; or the inner part of the hand (including the fingers)

   Synonym: pala

Noun

keff m (plural kfief or kefef or keffejn)

1. hem of a garment
2. scalepan

Alternative forms

• keffa

Etymology 2

From Arabic كَفَّ‎ (kaffa).

Verb

keff (imperfect jkeff, past participle mikfuf, verbal noun keff)

1. to hem

Etymology 3

From Arabic كَفّ‎ (kaff).

Noun

keff m (instance noun keffa)

1. verbal noun of keff: hemming

---

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic كف‎ (“good, pleasant, fun”). The transfer to Swedish meant that the word came to have the opposite meaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛf/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

keff (comparative keffare, superlative keffast)

1. (slang) bad, undesirable, odd

   Din musiksmak är keff.

   Your taste in music is bad.

Usage notes

• Sometimes also treated as an indeclinable adjective, i.e. det är keff as opposed to det är kefft.

Declension

Inflection of keff
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	keff	keffare	keffast
Neuter singular	kefft	keffare	keffast
Plural	keffa	keffare	keffast
Masculine plural3	keffe	keffare	keffast
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	keffe	keffare	keffaste
All	keffa	keffare	keffaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

References

• keff in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• “Vad betyder keff?”, in Frågelådan‎, Swedish Language Council, accessed 18 November 2019