ziju

Maltese

Etymology

Borrowed from Sicilian ziu, from Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos). Displaced the native Arabic terms għamm (“paternal uncle”) and ħal (“maternal uncle”), in part probably because this distinction is less relevant in the European family system.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈt͡siː.ju/

Noun

ziju m (plural zijiet, feminine zija)

uncle
Għandu relazzjoni ħafna tajba ma’ zijuh.
He has a very good relationship with his uncle.
- c. 2015, Il-Bibbja : il-Kotba Mqaddsa, 5th edition, Valletta: Ghaqda Biblika Maltija, →OCLC, Il-Ktieb tal-Levitiku 10:4:
  Mosè sejjaħ lil Misael u lil Elsafan, ulied Għużżijel, iz-ziju ta' Aron.
  King James Version translation: And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron.

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.