dagħbien

Maltese

Alternative forms

• degħbien, dogħbien

Etymology

Derived from Arabic دَعَبَ (daʕaba, “to thrust, push”, and of wind or water “to be violent”). The sense “abyss” then probably from the violent currents at the bottom of a steep coast, transferred to the coast itself.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daˈbɪːn/
• IPA^(key): /daˤːˈbɪːn/ (archaic)

Noun

dagħbien m (plural dgħaben)

1. whirlwind
2. abyss, chasm, cleft