erbat

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erbat

1. first/third-person singular preterite of erbitten

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛr.bat/
• Rhymes: -ɛrbat

erbat m or f

1. long attributive form of erbgħa (“four”)

   Coordinate term: (short attributive form) erba’

• The attributive forms are used before counted nouns.
• The long form is often favoured in words containing fewer syllables and beginning with either an epenthetic vowel or a consonant cluster requiring an epenthetic vowel before the first consonant. In the latter case, the epenthetic vowel is added as in the following example: tfal (“children”) → erbat itfal (“four children”). Note, only select exceptional words such as (i)jiem, erwieħ or snin strictly warrant the long form, other words merely consider it optional and usage varies from speaker to speaker from time to time. That is to say erba' tfal is possible, but unlikely given the consonant cluster & monosyllabic nature of the word.