xenqa
Maltese
editEtymology
editFrom 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
editNoun
editxenqa f (plural xenqat or xenqiet)