xellef

Maltese

Root
x-l-f
1 terms

Etymology

Probably inherited from dialectal Arabic; compare North Levantine Arabic شلف‎ (šalaf, “to throw”). The football sense is a calque of English chip.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛl.lɛf/

Verb

xellef (imperfect jxellef, past participle mxellef, verbal noun tixlif)

to chip, to hew off a piece from
(figuratively) to break (a promise), to compromise (a principle)
(figuratively) to reduce (a price, wage)
(soccer) to chip (strike the ball lightly such that it ascends steeply)

Derived terms

xellef difru