Maltese

[ mawl-teez, -tees ]

/ mɔlˈtiz, -ˈtis /

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for maltese

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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
As I said before, that copy must have been passed along with the corpse to the Maltese man.
The Green Mummy|Fergus Hume

But Dick's offering to Edith was an extravagant one: it was a Maltese cross set with emeralds.
Catholic World, Vol. XIII, April to September, 1871|Various
I now inquired about their own language, when one of them said it was Maltese; but the other said it was their cant language.
A Morning's Walk from London to Kew|Richard Phillips
There's a thing mamma used to call the Maltese cross and that I think I've heard her say is very wonderful.
The Spoils of Poynton|Henry James
We have a beautiful Maltese cat, and twelve little chickens.
Harper's Young People, June 29, 1880|Various

British Dictionary definitions for maltese

Maltese

/ (mɔːlˈtiːz) /

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).