difer

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ظُفْر (ẓufr). The unexpected imala may be connected to an irregular development in some roots with final /r/, compare deher and sider.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪ.fɛr/

Noun

difer m (dual difrejn, plural difrejn or dwiefer)

1. (anatomy) nail

Usage notes

• Difer and saba’ (“finger, toe”) are the only non-paired body parts in which the original dual is used with a plural sense. With difer, the dual is the normal choice, whereas the form dwiefer most often implies long or false nails. Only in very restricted contexts can the dual form still mean “two nails”. Only the dual form is possible with personal suffixes.

Inflection

Inflected forms
Personal-pronoun- including forms	singular		plural
	m	f
1st person	difri		difirna
2nd person	difrek		difirkom
3rd person	difru	difirha	difirhom