xenqa
Maltese
Etymology
From Arabic شَنْق (šanq, “longing, yearning”). The senses of the root are generally related to binding and hanging, today chiefly as a form of execution. Perhaps the relevant sense can be derived thence from the idea that a person’s heart is bound and suffocating, or alternatively from accelerated breathing and moaning.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʃɛn.ʔa/
Noun
xenqa f
- desire; yearning; longing; craving; urge
Related terms
- xxennaq