mata-mata

See also: matamata, Matamata, matamatá, and mata mata

English

Etymology

From Malay mata-mata (“eyes”), plural of mata. Doublet of maka, from Hawaiian.

Noun

mata-mata (plural mata-matas)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, slang) A police officer.

Anagrams

• Mama Tata

Indonesian

Etymology

Reduplication of mata (“eye”), inherited from Malay mata-mata.

Noun

mata-mata

1. plural of mata

Noun

mata-mata (plural banyak mata-mata)

1. spy

   Synonyms: agen rahasia, detektif, intelijen

Affixed terms

• memata-matai
• pemata-mataan

 

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay mata-mata.

Further reading

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

Malay

Etymology

Reduplication of mata (“eye”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mata mata/
  • (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [matə matə]
• Rhymes: -ta, -a

Noun

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢)

1. Plural of mata.

Noun

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢, plural banyak mata-mata)

1. A police officer.

   Synonyms: polis, perajurit

2. A spy.

   Synonyms: ejen rahsia, pengintip, perisik, luluk

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian mata-mata.

Descendants

• Indonesian: mata-mata
• → English: mata-mata
• → Chinese: 馬打／马打 (mǎdǎ)
  • → Thai: หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa)
• →? Vietnamese: mã tà

Further reading

• “mata-mata” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• "mata-mata" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.

Portuguese

Pronounce

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌma.tɐˈma.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌma.tɐˈma.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌma.taˈma.ta/

Etymology 1

Noun

mata-mata f (plural mata-matas)

1. (Brazil) Alternative spelling of matamatá

Etymology 2

Noun

mata-mata m (plural mata-matas)

1. (Brazil, sports) playoff
2. (Brazil, sports) knockout, qualifying round, (UK) tie (tournament in which a team or player must beat the opponent in order to progress)

Further reading

• “mata-mata” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.