malta
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Malta¹
- /ˈmɒl.tə/ UK
- /ˈmɔːl.tə/ UK
- /ˈmɑl.tə/ US
- /ˈmɔl.tə/ US
Sounds like malter (non-rhotic) · Rhymes with -ɒltə, -ɔːltə
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian and Maltese Malta, from Arabic مَالِطَا (māliṭā), from Latin Melita, from Ancient Greek Μελίτη (Melítē), apparently from μέλι (méli, “honey”) + -η (-ē, “-a: forming feminine place names”) although its use for the island of Malta is considered uncertain. Some scholars consider it to represent the importance of the islands' indigenous bees and their output. Others consider it a transcription of Phoenician 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “Grand Harbor, Cospicua”), from 𐤌𐤋𐤈 (mlṭ, “refuge, port”), reapplied first to the island and then, after the Punic Wars, to its Roman seat of government at Mdina. Note however that Latin Malta is already attested in some medieval manuscripts of the Antonine Itinerary. See Wikipedia's articles on Melite and Malta. Doublet of Meleda and Mljet.
proper noun
-
An archipelago and country in Southern Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea. Official name: Republic of Malta. Capital: Valletta.
Over the following decades, the EEC became the European Union, and expanded from the original six nations to today’s 27 members, from Finland in the north to Malta in the south.
Similar: Maltese Archipelago
-
The largest island in the Maltese Archipelago.
Similar: Malta Island, Melita, Melite
- A small city, the county seat of Phillips County, Montana, United States.
- A town and hamlet therein, in Saratoga County, New York, United States.
malta²
Where it comes from
From Spanish malta, in turn from German Malzbier.
noun
- A non-alcoholic carbonated malt beverage, popular in Latin America. I toasted him with my glass of malta.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: valletta, grenada, suriname, morocco, libya, maltese, yalta, alexandria, lira, country, malt, marta, malte, malted, malted barley, malt liquor
Translations
Talk about this word "malta." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/malta. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. malta. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/malta "malta." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/malta.Cite this
@misc{malta_2026,
title = {malta},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/malta},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
