Borrowed fromSicilianlittra, fromLatinlittera. The initiall- was interpreted as the definite article (Maltesel- and/or Sicilianl’) and hence deleted. Compare the opposite development inilma,lemin, etc.
ittra f (pluralittri)
- letter(of the alphabet)
- ittra majjuskla;ittra kbira;ittra kapitali ―capitalletter
- L-ittra Y ma tintużax fil-Malti. ―Theletter Y is not used in Maltese.
1949-1952,Anton Buttigieg, “L-Istorja tal-Ħajja”, inQasba mar-Riħ, published1977:L-Istorja tal-ħajja
jiktibha s-sħab kull jum
fuq wiċċ l-għadajjar
bl-ittri tad-dawl u d-dell...- The story of life
is written by the clouds each day
on the face of the ponds
withletters of light and shadow.
2018, Antoinette Borg, chapter 13, inAmina, Merlin Publishers,→ISBN:[…] Eħxen u itqal milli ħsibtu. Niftħu u fuq l-ewwel paġna hemm stampat, b’ittri kbar: Fittixni, Jack Micallef. Inqalleb ftit il-paġni ta’ ġewwa u, b’sens ta’ delużjoni, ninduna li hu speċi ta’ manuskritt ta’ xi ktieb. Kliem u stejjer! Jaqq!- […] Thicker and heavier than I thought. I open it, and on the first page, printed in largeletters, it says: Find Me, Jack Micallef. I flip through a few pages and feel a wave of disappointment when I realize it's some kind of manuscript for a book. Words and stories! Ugh!
- letter(written message)
- kaxxa tal-ittra ―letterbox
Ktibtilhaittra, imma ma weġbitx għaliha.- I wrote her aletter, but she didn’t answer it.
1973,Anton Buttigieg, “Il-Ballata tal-Assedju ta' Għawdex”, inBallati Maltin:Tliet mitt ruħ Siman ġa tilef,
għalhekk beda jaqta’ l-jies;
dik l-ittra kompliet ġagħlitu
biex tirtira jordna n-nies.- Sinan had lost three hundred men,
so he began to lose hope;
theletter pushed him
to order retreat.
2018, Antoinette Borg, chapter 2, inAmina, Merlin Publishers,→ISBN:Kollox beda b’dik l-ittra twila u mimlija kliem bombastiku. Kliem, kliem u aktar kliem. Kienet waslet xi 7 xhur qabel, fil-bidu tas-sajf.- Everything began with that longletter full of bombastic words. Words, words, and more words. It had arrived about seven months earlier, at the start of summer.
- academic title
- (Christianity) epistle(one of the books of the New Testament which was originally a letter issued by an apostle)
- ittre(“electroning mail”)
