werwer

Maltese

Root
w-r-w-r
2 terms

Etymology

Formally from Arabic وَلْوَلَ (walwala, “to wail, lament”), itself probably from وَيْل (wayl, “woe”). The transitive use in Maltese would be a backformation from twerwer (“be scared”), from the fifth stem تَوَلْوَلَ (tawalwala), which in Arabic is used synonymously with the first-mentioned form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛr.wɛr/

Verb

werwer (imperfect jwerwer, past participle mwerwer)

1. to scare, to terrify

   Synonyms: beżża’, waħħax

   • 2018, Antoinette Borg, Amina, Merlin Publishers, →ISBN:

     Werwritni sakemm wasalna! Vera kollox tagħmel bl-attenzjoni u bil-galbu, ħlief … is-sewqan!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of werwer

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	werwirt	werwirt	werwer		werwirna	werwirtu	werwru
	f			werwret
imperfect	m	nwerwer	twerwer	jwerwer		nwerwru	twerwru	jwerwru
	f			twerwer
imperative			werwer				werwru