xadin

Maltese

Etymology

From dialectal Arabic, from Persian شادی (šâdi, “monkey”). Compare Algerian Arabic شادي (šādi, “monkey”) and Gulf Arabic شاذي (šāḏi, “monkey”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃaˈdiːn/

Noun

xadin m (plural xadini, feminine xadina)

1. monkey, ape

Usage notes

• The feminine xadina is often used as the default form of this word, so it need not necessarily imply a female animal.