kerbau

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay kerbau, from Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian [Term?], ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Cognate with Khmer ក្របី (krɑbəy, “water buffalo”), Javanese ꦏꦼꦧꦺꦴ (kebo), Tagalog kalabaw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kərbau̯/
• Hyphenation: kêr‧bau
• Rhymes: -ərbau̯, -bau̯, -au̯

Noun

kêrbau (plural kerbau-kerbau, first-person possessive kerbauku, second-person possessive kerbaumu, third-person possessive kerbaunya)

1. water buffalo (large ungulate)

   Synonym: benuang

2. (figurative) stupe, stupid person.

Derived terms

• kerbau air
• kerbau balar
• kerbau benuang
• kerbau beras
• kerbau jalang
• kerbau melukut
• kerbau pendek
• kerbau perah
• kerbau pudu
• kerbau rawa
• kerbau sambao
• kerbau sungai

 

Further reading

• “kerbau” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian [Term?], ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Cognate with Khmer ក្របី (krɑbəy, “water buffalo”), Halang kơpùa, Thai กระบือ (grà-bʉʉ), Javanese ꦏꦼꦧꦺꦴ (kebo), Tagalog kalabaw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kə(r)bau̯/
• Rhymes: -ə(r)bau̯, -bau̯, -au̯

Noun

kerbau (Jawi spelling کرباو, plural kerbau-kerbau, informal 1st possessive kerbauku, 2nd possessive kerbaumu, 3rd possessive kerbaunya)

1. water buffalo (large ungulate)

   Synonym: benuang

Descendants

• Indonesian: kerbau

Further reading

• “kerbau” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.