Definitions of Malta [ˈmɔl tə]

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Definition of 'Malta'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

1. (n.) Malta
an island in the Mediterranean south of Sicily. 95 sq. mi. (246 sq. km).

2. Malta
a republic consisting of this island and two adjacent islands: a former British colony; now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 381,603; 122 sq. mi. (316 sq. km).

Etymology: (1865–70)

Definition of 'Malta'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (noun) Malta, Republic of Malta
a republic on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1964

2. (noun) Malta
a strategically located island to the south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea

Definitions of 'Malta'

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

1. Malta
(with Gozo) (177), a small British island in the Mediterranean, 80 m. S. of Sicily; is a strongly fortified and a most important naval station, head-quarters of the British Mediterranean fleet, and coaling-station for naval and mercantile marine; with a history of great interest, Malta was annexed to Britain in 1814. The island is treeless, and with few streams, but fertile, and has many wells. Wheat, potatoes, and fruit are largely cultivated, and filigree work and cotton manufactured. The people are industrious and thrifty; population is the densest in Europe. The Roman Catholic Church is very powerful. There is a university at Valetta, and since 1887 Malta has been self-governing.

Definition of 'Malta'

U.S. National Library of Medicine

1. Malta
An independent state consisting of three islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. Its capital is Valetta. The major island is Malta, the two smaller islands are Comino and Gozo. It was a Phoenician and Carthaginian colony, captured by the Romans in 218 B.C. It was overrun by Saracens in 870, taken by the Normans in 1090, and subsequently held by the French and later the British who allotted them a dominion government in 1921. It became a crown colony in 1933, achieving independence in 1964. The name possibly comes from a pre-Indoeuropean root mel, high, referring to its rocks, but a more picturesque origin derives the name from the Greek melitta or melissa, honey, with reference to its early fame for its honey production. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p719 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p330)

'Malta' - Nearby Entries
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