kiesaħ

Maltese

Root
k-s-ħ
9 terms

Etymology

Probably from Arabic قَاسِح (qāsiḥ, “hard”), in closely related Tunisian Arabic also كاسح (kāsiḥ). This adjective is used in Morocco in the collocation برد قاسح (bard qāsiḥ, “severe cold”). The sense “cold” could also derive from “hard” → “frozen” → “cold”, but this may be less likely given the extreme rarity of frost in the Maltese islands (as of 2019 unrecorded with standard instruments, the official record low being 1.4 °C). Alternatively, the Maltese adjective might be from Arabic كاسِح (kāsiḥ, “blustering”), referring to cold winter winds.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɪː.saħ/

Adjective

kiesaħ (feminine singular kiesħa, plural kiesħa or kesħin)

1. cold

   Antonym: sħun

   Coordinate terms: biered, diefi

2. affectatious
3. impudent