Maltese

American  

[mawl-teez, -tees] / mɔlˈtiz, -ˈtis /

adjective

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

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noun

plural

Maltese

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

Etymology

Origin of Maltese

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

Example Sentences

The tanker, part of a shadow fleet transporting sanctioned Russian oil and gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters earlier this month.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

It is currently unclear whether the actor left anything to his three children—Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie—whom he shared with his first wife, Faye Maltese.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 19, 2026

Then he would commute with his two Maltese dogs down the Hudson River in his boat to Saks’s Manhattan office.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

One body was recovered, with Italian and Maltese patrol vessels and Italian planes taking part in the search.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

After her meeting with Babbage/Mr. Quisling went downhill, she completely spaced on the fact that while she may have lost The Gold-Bug, she still had The Maltese Falcon and its clue.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman