Maltese

American  

[mawl-teez, -tees] / mɔlˈtiz, -ˈtis /

adjective

1. of or relating to Malta, its people, or their language.

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noun

Maltese plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Malta.

2. the Arabic dialect spoken in Malta, using many Italian words.

3. Maltese cat.

4. Maltese dog.

Maltese British  

/ mɔːlˈtiːz /

adjective

1. of or relating to Malta, its inhabitants, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Malta

2. the official language of Malta, a form of Arabic with borrowings from Italian, etc

3. a breed of toy dog having a very long straight silky white coat

4. a domestic fancy pigeon having long legs and a long neck

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Maltese
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Maltese

First recorded in 1605–15; Malt(a) + -ese

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Maltese

In one scene, a Minion plays a detective character named “Humphrey,” a nod to Humphrey Bogart, grizzled hero of “The Big Sleep” and “The Maltese Falcon.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Maltese citizens who live abroad—in London, Sydney, Toronto, Melbourne—flew home to vote, because Malta does not allow remote voting.

From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2026

While stage designs vary in boldness, songs range from pop to heavy rock and electro and are performed in diverse languages from Maltese to Albanian.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

According to Hungary's state-supported Maltese charity, 270,000 of them live in the 300 poorest settlements in Hungary.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

She hovered over one, and a bubble popped up that said, Dashiell Hammett lived at 1155 Leavenworth Street when he completed the final draft of The Maltese Falcon.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman