Maltese
[mawl-teez, -tees]
- of or relating to Malta, its people, or their language.
- 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) +
-eseDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for maltese
Contemporary Examples of maltese
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 of maltese
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!
British Dictionary definitions for maltese- of or relating to Malta, its inhabitants, or their language
- 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 maltesefrom Malta + -ese. Maltese cat is attested from 1830; Maltese cross is from 1754 (earlier Malta cross, 1650s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
