Rafflesian

English

WOTD – 29 January 2019

Etymology

An 1824 engraving of Sir Stamford Raffles by James Thomson

Young Rafflesians (noun sense) – students of Raffles Institution in Singapore – in the school canteen

From Raffles, the surname of Sir Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) +‎ -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈfliː.ʒən/, /ɹəˈfliː.ʒɪ.ən/, /ɹəˈfliː.zɪ.ən/

• Audio (Southern England)

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• Audio (Southern England)

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• Audio (Southern England)

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈfli.ʒən/, /ɹəˈfli.ʒi.ən/, /ɹəˈfli.zi.ən/
• Hyphenation: Raf‧fles‧ian

Adjective

Rafflesian (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
   • 1830, [Lady Sophia Raffles, née Sophia Hull], “Catalogue of Zoological Specimens”, in Memoir of the Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, F.R.S. &c. […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 641:

     A specimen of this species belongs to the Rafflesian collection; but it is believed that it was brought from Borneo, whence Sir Stamford obtained some valuable subjects of Natural History, particularly the two following subjects.

   • 2003, Chan Kwok Bun, Tong Chee Kiong, editors, Past Times: A Social History of Singapore, Singapore: Times Editions, →ISBN, page 29:

     Lee Kong Chian's multilingual and multicultural vision was more moderate and was far more in line with the original Rafflesian vision for education in Singapore—indeed, what the British Government had hoped for the colony.

   • 2005, Tamara S. Wagner, Occidentalism in Novels of Malaysia and Singapore, 1819–2004: Colonial and Postcolonial Financial Straits and Literary Style (Studies in British Literature; 97), Lewiston, N.Y., Lampeter, Ceredigion, U.K.: Edwin Mellen Press, →ISBN, page 96:

     Untamed, "exotic," Borneo figures as an imperialist outpost of adventure that has run to seed from the beginnings: rotten from within. Lingard, the elusive commercial explorer whose speculation on an inland river ruins Almayer, embodies the circulating myths of a gentlemanly imperialism, of what has been pointedly termed the "Rafflesian aspirations" of Victorian businessman doubling as would-be adventurers of empire, […]

2. (Singapore) Of or relating to an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
   • 1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, →ISBN, page 272:

     But Philip Liau was always in the thick of Rafflesian life and he made his impact in much more subtle and direct ways. His closeness to his teachers was exemplified by the fact that he regarded them with respect and allowed no one to take them for granted.

   • 1992, Singapore Bulletin, Singapore: Publicity Division, Ministry of Culture, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 2:

     Raffles Junior College, which is 11 years old, is part of the Rafflesian family, and so falls under the umbrella of the Old Rafflesian Association.

   • 2003 November 16, Chua Mui Hoong, “Laments of a girl from RGS”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page L16; quoted in Michael D. Barr, Zlatko Skrbiš, “Sorting the ‘Scholars’ from the ‘Commoners’: Secondary School and Junior College”, in Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation-building Project (Democracy in Asia; no. 11), Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2008, →ISBN, page 199:

     RGS [Raffles Girls’ School] gave me a very good education academically. It taught me there were no limits to what I could achieve, if I only tried hard and had talent. […] Many of us have a deep-seated urge to achieve, whether in school or at work or in our persona life. […] Rafflesian girls are assertive […].

Related terms

• Raffles
• rafflesia
• Rafflesia
• Rafflesia arnoldii
• Rafflesiaceae
• Raffles's malkoha

 

Translations

of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles

of or relating to an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles

Noun

Rafflesian (plural Rafflesians)

1. (Singapore) A current or former student of an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
   • 1976, Ray [K.] Tyers, Singapore, Then & Now, volume 1, Singapore: University Education Press, →OCLC, page 170, column 2:

     By 1961 the first Yang di Pertuan Negara (a former Rafflesian) of self-governing Singapore, Enche Yusof bin Ishak, addressed the school on founder's day – one of the grandest of all founder's day celebrations in the school's history.

   • 1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, →ISBN, page 139:

     One does not, of course, have to read this article to know the character of this old boy [David Saul Marshall]. Many a praise is yet sung by the school and its pupils of this old Rafflesian.

   • 2008, Tan Guan Heng, “First Career Woman Ambassador: Zaibedah Ahmad”, in 100 Inspiring Rafflesians: 1823–2003, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co., →ISBN, page 7:

     Zaibedah Ahmad comes from a family of distinguished Rafflesians. It is indeed rare to find four members of the same family having made significant contributions to the nation in their different professions – diplomacy, aviation, the judiciary and academia. They are outstanding examples of the Rafflesian diaspora who have found fame abroad.

Translations

current or former student of an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles

Further reading

• Stamford Raffles on Wikipedia.Wikipedia