iebes

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic يابِس‎ (yābis, “dried out, hard due to dryness”, e.g. of soil, bread). The initial /j/ was lost. Irregularities involving this consonant in initial position are common; compare jiena, jew with unetymological j-.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈɪːbɛs/

Adjective

iebes (feminine singular iebsa, plural ibsin)

  1. hard; not soft
  2. hard; not easy
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