biex

Maltese

Alternative forms

sabiex

Etymology

Inherited from dialectal North African Arabic. By surface analysis, b’ +‎ *iex. Cognate with Moroccan Arabic باش (bāš, “so that”). Compare Maltese għax (“because”), which is from Arabic عَلَى شَأْنِ (ʕalā šaʔni, literally “on the issue of”), which is also present in Egyptian Arabic. Biex may be a similar formation.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɪːʃ/

Conjunction

biex

(final) so that; in order that; often rather expressed in English with to + infinitive

Adverb

biex

(interrogative) with what