aba-aba

See also: abaaba

Betawi

Etymology

Borrowed from Javanese ꦲꦧꦃꦲꦧꦃ (abah-abah, “tool, instrument”), from Old Javanese abah-abah (“harness”).

Noun

aba-aba

1. tool

   Synonyms: alat, pekakas, peranti

2. furniture

   Synonym: perabotan

Further reading

• Batten, C. J. (1868), “Aba-aba”, in De djoeroe basa Betawi: Eenvoudige Bataviaasch-Maleische woordenverzameling [The Betawi translator: A simple Batavian-Malay word collection] (in Dutch), Batavia: H. M. van Dorp, page 1

Hanunoo

Etymology 1

Reduplication of aba (“length”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔabaˈʔaba/ [ʔa.baˈʔa.ba]
• Rhymes: -aba
• Syllabification: a‧ba-a‧ba

Noun

aba-aba (Hanunoo spelling ᜠᜪᜠᜪ)

1. oval

Etymology 2

Reduplication of aba (“exclamation of surprise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔabaʔaˈba/ [ʔa.ba.ʔaˈba]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a‧ba-a‧ba

Interjection

aba-abá (Hanunoo spelling ᜠᜪᜠᜪ)

1. an exclamation of wonder

   Synonym: aba

See also

• abaw

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Javanese ꦲꦧꦲꦧ (aba-aba, “verbal command”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˌaba ˈaba/ [ˌa.ba ˈa.ba]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aba
• Syllabification: a‧ba-a‧ba

Noun

aba-aba

1. command

   Synonym: perintah

Verb

aba-aba (active mengaba-aba, passive diaba-aba)

1. (transitive) to command (to order, give orders; to compel or direct with authority)

Further reading

• “aba-aba”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Javanese

Romanization

aba-aba

1. romanization of ꦲꦧꦲꦧ

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Indonesian aba-aba, from Javanese ꦲꦧꦲꦧ (aba-aba, “verbal command”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a.ba a.ba]

Noun

aba-aba (Jawi spelling اب٢)

1. (Indonesia) alternative form of aba

Further reading

• “aba-aba”, in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu [Malay Literary Reference Centre] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017