safa

Hausa

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sà.fâː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [sə̀.ɸâː]

Noun

sàfâ f (possessed form sàfân)

1. large, intercity bus

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sàː.fáː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [sàː.ɸáː]

Noun

sā̀fā f (plural sā̀fànnī, possessed form sā̀far̃)

1. socks, stockings

Icelandic

Noun

safa

1. indefinite accusative singular of safi
2. indefinite dative singular of safi
3. indefinite genitive singular of safi
4. indefinite accusative plural of safi
5. indefinite genitive plural of safi

Maltese

Root
s-f-j
7 terms

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.fa/
• Rhymes: -afa

Etymology 1

From Arabic صَفاء (ṣafāʔ), feminised because of the final -a.

Noun

safa f

1. purity

   Synonym: purità

Etymology 2

From Arabic صَفَا (ṣafā, “to become pure, to remain after a process of purification”). The initial emphatic caused the addition of an unetymological final għ in some accents, whence the rarer variant sefa’ (compare the similar development in baqa’, laqa’, tema’).

Verb

safa (imperfect jisfa)

1. to be left; to come to be in some undesired state

   Alternative form: sefa’

   Sfat bla wlied. ― She was left childless.

   Sfaw foqra. ― They were left poor.

   • 1949, Anton Buttigieg, “Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral”, in Fanali bil-Lejl:

     u lili firdu minn mal-art għal dejjem,
     u jien sfajt blata u gżira l-aktar ċkejkna,
     bi ftit faqqiegħ u ftit gremxul sewdieni
     ngħix ħajja waħdi.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Conjugation of safa (Form I)

positive forms
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	sfajt	sfajt	safa	sfajna	sfajtu	sfaw
	f			sfat
imperfect	m	nisfa	tisfa	jisfa	nisfaw	tisfaw	jisfaw
	f			tisfa
imperative			isfa			isfaw

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.fɐ/

• Rhymes: -afɐ
• Hyphenation: sa‧fa

Etymology 1

Noun

safa f (plural safas)

1. eraser (piece of rubber used to erase writing)

   Synonym: borracha

Interjection

safa!

1. expresses surprise, disgust or admiration

Etymology 2

Adjective

safa

1. feminine singular of safo

Etymology 3

Verb

safa

1. inflection of safar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “safa”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “safa”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

safa class IX (plural safa class X)

1. a type of trough used for bathing