كفتا

North Levantine Arabic

Etymology 1

Ultimately from Persian کوفته (kōfta).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkaf.ta/ [ˈkæfta]

Noun

كَفْتَا • (kafta) f

  1. kofta

Alternative forms

Etymology 2

Contraction of كِيف تَا (kīf ta, literally “how until”). For sense 2 (“why?”), compare the development of English how come.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkif.ta/ [ˈkefta]

Adverb

كِفْتَا • (kifta)

  2. how? (asks how something came or comes to pass)
    Near-synonym: كِيف (kīf)
  4. why?, how come?[1]
    Near-synonym: ليه (lē)
Usage notes
  • Sense 1: See usage notes at كِيف (kīf, “how”) for an explanation of the difference.

References

  1. ^ أَنِيس خُورِي فْرَيْحَة [ʔanīs ḵūrī frayḥa, Anis Khuri Frayha, Anis Freiha] (1947), “كفتا”, in مُعْجَمُ الأَلْفَاظِ العَامِّيَّةِ فِي اللَّهْجَةِ اللُّبْنَانِيَّة [muʕjamu l-ʔalfāẓi l-ʕāmmiyyati fī l-lahjati l-lubnāniyya, A dictionary of non-classical vocables in the spoken Arabic of Lebanon]‎[1], American University of Beirut, →OCLC, page 154b: “كِفْتَا: اداة استفهام بمعنى لماذا? لايّ سببٍ وهي منحوتة من «كيف حتَّى». ― kifta: ʔadātu stifhāmin bimaʕnā limāḏā? liʔayyi sababin wahya manḥūtatun min «kīf ḥatta». ― kifta: interrogative particle meaning why?, for what reason, and it is univerbated from «kīf ḥatta» ['how until']”
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