From Arabic إِخْوَة (ʔiḵwa, “brothers”). The use also for “sisters” from generic use of the masculine, perhaps reinforced formally by the construct form ħut, which would have been close to *ħwiet, the expected outcome of Arabic أَخَوات (ʔaḵawāt).

• IPA^(key): /ˈaħwa/

aħwa (construct form ħut)

1. siblings
   1. plural of ħu (“brother”)
   2. plural of oħt (“sister”)
2. (ecclesiastical) brethren

• In order to specify sex in the plural, the appositions subien (“boys”) and bniet (“girls”) are used; see these.