dejr

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic دَيْر (dayr, “convent, monastery”), from Classical Syriac ܕܝܪܐ (dayrā). The meaning “castle, fortress” perhaps influenced by the militant Order of Malta. The knowledge about the word’s origins seems to have been lost rather early, as Vassalli already treats the sense “convent” as secondary and thinks that the basic meaning is “large house” (it being merely a variant of dar).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛjr/

Noun

dejr m

1. (archaic, chiefly in placenames) a castle, fortress

   Synonyms: kastell, fortizza

2. (obsolete, found in placenames) a convent, monastery

   Synonyms: kunvent, monasteru