knisja

Maltese

Alternative forms
  • Knisja (alternatively for an institution, chiefly the Roman Catholic Church)

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic كَنِيسَة‎ (kanīsa), from Aramaic כְּנִישְׁתָּא‎ (kənīštā). Cognate with Hebrew כנסייה‎ (knesiá), whose particular phonetic similarity to the Maltese is likely coincidental, however. The addition of -j- probably happened under the influence of Sicilian cresia, from Latin ecclesia, from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈkniːs.ja/

Noun

knisja f (plural knejjes)

  1. church (building)
  2. church (institution; religious organization)
  • Knisja Kattolika
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.