xegħel

Maltese

Root
x-għ-l (lighting)
6 terms

Etymology

From Arabic شَعَلَ (šaʕala, “to light”). The same verb is used for “to turn on a machine” in several languages. In Maltese it may be a calque of Italian accendere, but compare also Moroccan Arabic شعل (šʕal), French allumer, Spanish encender (all “to light” and “to turn on”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɛːl/
• IPA^(key): /ʃɛˤːl/ (archaic)

Verb

xegħel (imperfect jixgħel, past participle mixgħul, verbal noun xegħil)

1. to light (a candle etc.)

   Qed nixgħel ix-xemgħa. ― I’m lighting the candle.

2. to turn on (a device)

   Se tixgħel il-laptop. ― She will turn on the laptop.

3. (intransitive) to burst out in anger

   Synonyms: sibel, rrabja, tgħaddab

   Xgħelt xħin semmejtlek lil oħtok. ― You burst out in anger when I mentioned your sister.

Conjugation

Conjugation of xegħel

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	xgħelt	xgħelt	xegħel		xgħelna	xgħeltu	xegħlu
	f			xegħlet
imperfect	m	nixgħel	tixgħel	jixgħel		nixegħlu	tixegħlu	jixegħlu
	f			tixgħel
imperative			ixgħel				ixegħlu