Etymology
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Many of the names used to refer to the different sites carry a link with the stones used for their building. The Maltese word for boulders, 'ħaġar' is common to Ta’ Ħaġrat and Ħaġar Qim. While the former uses the word in conjunction with the marker of possession, the latter adds the word 'Qim', which is either a form of the Maltese word for 'worship' or an archaic form of the word meaning 'standing'.
Maltese folklore describes giants as having built the temples, which led to the name Ġgantija, meaning 'Giants’ tower' . The Maltese linguist Joseph Aquilina believed that Mnajdra was the diminutive of 'mandra', meaning a plot of ground planted with cultivated trees; however he also named the arbitrary derivation from the Arabic root 'manzara', meaning 'a place with commanding views.' The Tarxien temples owe their name to the locality where they were found (from Tirix, meaning a large stone), as were the remains excavated at Skorba.
Read more about this topic: Megalithic Temples Of Malta
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
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