Għisa

ghisa Maltese Etymology From mt ar عِيسَى Jesus among Muslims, of uncertain precise origins, but eventually from mt he יְהוֹשֻׁעַ yəhōšuaʿ. Among the clergy and townsfolk it was probably replaced with Italo-Romance mt Ġesù fairly early on. In some areas, however, it appears to have survived for very long. Mikiel Anton Vassalli Vassalli still gives mt Sidna Għisa for “la Dominus noster Iesus”, although for him this use is chiefly that of the “Saracens”, whereas the name properly refers to Joshua (it and Jesus going back to the same Hebrew form). In line with the general absence of Christian Arabic names in Maltese, there seems to be no trace of the proper Christian form ar يَسُوع, unless it were perhaps found in the expression mt jessu għalik. Pronunciation mt /ˈɛj.sa/ /ˈaj.sa/ mt /ˈəˤj.sa/ archaic mt ajsa əˤjsa ɛjsa 2 Proper noun proper noun m mt obsolete Jesus mt Ġesù mt obsolete Joshua mt Ġożwè Derived terms mt Bengħisa mt Individuals