qala'

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔa.la/
• IPA^(key): /ˈʔa.laˤ/ (archaic)
• Homophone: qalgħa

Etymology 1

Root
q-l-għ
3 terms

From Arabic قَلَعَ (qalaʕa, “to pull out, rip off, uproot”). The sense “to vomit” perhaps reinforced by the fact that the verb (with its initial uvular and final pharyngeal) would have been somewhat onomatopoeic of retching; compare unrelated but phonetically similar Arabic قاءَ (qāʔa, “to vomit”).

Verb

qala’ (imperfect jaqla’, past participle maqlugħ, verbal noun qligħ)

1. (transitive) to pull out; to extract
2. (transitive) to earn (money)
3. (intransitive) to vomit

Conjugation

Conjugation of qala’

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	qlajt	qlajt	qala’		qlajna	qlajtu	qalgħu
	f			qalgħet
imperfect	m	naqla’	taqla’	jaqla’		naqilgħu	taqilgħu	jaqilgħu
	f			taqla’
imperative			aqla’				aqilgħu

Etymology 2

From Arabic قِلْع (qilʕ, “sail”). Feminised because of the final a-sound.

Noun

qala’ f (plural qlugħ)

1. (dated) sail (of a ship)

Usage notes

• The original plural qlugħ, reinterpreted as a singular, is now commoner.