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

The verdict means that almost nine years since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese authorities have failed to identify and convict the mastermind.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Full justice must be served and Maltese authorities must implement the long overdue measures protecting journalists and media freedom," it added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Megrahi is also said to have visited a Maltese clothes shop, buying shirts and baby grows - which were placed in the suitcase with the bomb and later found at the plane crash site.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

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

Emily flipped to a clean sheet of notebook paper and, in their secret code, wrote, Raven hid forty-nine copies of Maltese Falcon around San Francisco.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman