מלכתא

Aramaic

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *malk-. Notice that in the plural the /k/ becomes a fricative even though no vowel precedes it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /malkətɑ/, [malkəθɑ]
• (Ashkenazic Aramaic) IPA^(key): /malkəsɔ/

Noun

מַלְכְּתָא • (malkəṯā) f (plural מַלְכָתָא, singular masculine counterpart מלכא)

1. queen (female monarch)
   • Tanach, 1 Kings 10:4, with translation of the New International Version:

     וַחֲזָת מַלכַּת שְׁבָא יָת כָּל חָכמַת שְׁלֹמֹה וּבֵיתָא דִּבנָא

     When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built

Inflection

    declension of מלכתא

	singular	plural
absolute	מַלְכָּה	מַלְכָן
construct	מַלכַּת	מַלְכָת
emphatic	מַלְכְּתָא	מַלְכָּתָא

Further reading

“mlkh”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–