Etymology Explorer › Maltese

Where does “kell” come from?

kell (Maltese) comes from Maltese kien, from Arabic كَانَ, from Arabic و, from Persian یا, from Arabic يَا — {{m|en|O|id=vocative}}.

kell (Maltese): to belong to; expresses English have; to be...

Definitions

  1. to belong to; expresses English have; to be...

Ancestry of “kell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Maltesekiento be
2Arabicكَانَto be
3Arabicوand, "comma", "semi-colon"; a divider of words or...
4PersianیاAPI •; or; either
5Arabicيَا{{m|en|O|id=vocative}}
Every word from Arabic يَا →