Maltese

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Root
x-għ-l (lighting)
6 terms

Etymology

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From Arabic شَعَلَ (šaʕala, to light). The same verb is used for “to turn on a machine” in several languages. In Maltese it may be a calque of Italian accendere, but compare also Moroccan Arabic شعل (šʕal), French allumer, Spanish encender (all “to light” and “to turn on”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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xegħel (imperfect jixgħel, past participle mixgħul, verbal noun xegħil)

  1. to light (a candle etc.)
    Qed nixgħel ix-xemgħa.I’m lighting the candle.
  2. to turn on (a device)
    Se tixgħel il-laptop.She will turn on the laptop.
  3. (intransitive) to burst out in anger
    Synonyms: sibel, rrabja, tgħaddab
    Xgħelt xħin semmejtlek lil oħtok.You burst out in anger when I mentioned your sister.

Conjugation

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    Conjugation of xegħel
singular plural
1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
perfect m xgħelt xgħelt xegħel xgħelna xgħeltu xegħlu
f xegħlet
imperfect m nixgħel tixgħel jixgħel nixegħlu tixegħlu jixegħlu
f tixgħel
imperative ixgħel ixegħlu