Maltese

[mawl-teez, -tees]

adjective

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

noun, plural Mal·tese.

a native or inhabitant of Malta.
the Arabic dialect spoken in Malta, using many Italian words.

Origin of Maltese

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for maltese

Contemporary Examples

Robert Graves thought Hammett was better than either Chandler or Asbury and called The Maltese Falcon, “a literary landmark.”
The Man With Stories to Tell
Allen Barra
December 8, 2013
“So I called out of the clear blue sky with no agenda,” she remembers, as she holds up her Maltese, Max, for smooches.
Meet Mariann From Brooklyn, Howard Stern’s Biggest Fan
Kevin Fallon
February 28, 2013
Not at all, as it turns out: He is worried about his little Maltese, which has a persistent liver infection.
Paul Bremer's Victory Lap
Tunku Varadarajan
March 29, 2010

Historical Examples

This cross, like that last named, is more like a Greek cross than a Maltese cross.
The Non-Christian Cross
John Denham Parsons
The foot should be small and round (in the maltese, pointed).
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow
And I have a nice Maltese kitty, and a little bird that sings like everything.
Harper's Young People, June 15, 1880
Various
We have a beautiful Maltese cat, and twelve little chickens.
Harper's Young People, June 29, 1880
Various
I 'm not sure he was not a Maltese; but such a salad as he could make!
Tony Butler
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for maltese

Maltese

adjective

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

noun

plural -tese a native or inhabitant of Malta
the official language of Malta, a form of Arabic with borrowings from Italian, etc
a breed of toy dog having a very long straight silky white coat
a domestic fancy pigeon having long legs and a long neck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for maltese

Maltese

from Malta + -ese. Maltese cat is attested from 1830; Maltese cross is from 1754 (earlier Malta cross, 1650s).

Maltese

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}Maltese

Examples from the Web for maltese

Contemporary Examples

Robert Graves thought Hammett was better than either Chandler or Asbury and called The Maltese Falcon, “a literary landmark.”

“So I called out of the clear blue sky with no agenda,” she remembers, as she holds up her Maltese, Max, for smooches.

Not at all, as it turns out: He is worried about his little Maltese, which has a persistent liver infection.

Historical Examples

This cross, like that last named, is more like a Greek cross than a Maltese cross.

The foot should be small and round (in the maltese, pointed).

And I have a nice Maltese kitty, and a little bird that sings like everything.

We have a beautiful Maltese cat, and twelve little chickens.

I 'm not sure he was not a Maltese; but such a salad as he could make!

Maltese

Word Origin and History for maltese

Maltese

Origin of Maltese