awam

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay awam, from Classical Malay awam, from Arabic عَوَامّ (ʕawāmm), plural of عَامَّة (ʕāmma).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈawam/ [ˈa.wam]
• Rhymes: -awam
• Syllabification: a‧wam

Adjective

awam

1. common, ordinary, public (of common people)

   Synonyms: publik, umum

Derived terms

• diawamkan
• keawaman
• mengawamkan
• pengawam

Noun

awam (plural awam-awam)

1. commoner

Further reading

• “awam”, 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

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic عَوَامّ (ʕawāmm), plural of عَامَّة (ʕāmma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈawam/ [ˈa.wam]
• Rhymes: -awam, -am
• Hyphenation: a‧wam

Adjective

awam (Jawi spelling عوام, comparative lebih awam, superlative paling awam)

1. public

   Synonyms: jelata, umum

   Synonym: (chiefly Indonesian) publik

   telefon awam ― public telephone

2. civil

   Synonym: sivil

   Synonym: sipil (Indonesian)

   kerajaan awam ― civil government

3. (Malaysia, Singapore, derogatory, slang) banal, everyday

   muka minah tu awam siot ― that girl's face is so common

Derived terms

Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

• mengawamkan [agent focus + causative benefactive] (meN- + -kan)

Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:

• akauntan awam (“accountant”)
• jurutera awam (“civil engineer”)
• kemudahan awam (“public convenience”)
• kenderaan awam (“rental car”)
• kunci awam (“public key”)
• notari awam (“notary”)
• orang awam (“commonfolk”)
• pengangkutan awam (“public transportation”)
• perhubungan awam (“public relations”)
• perkhidmatan awam (“public service”)
• perpustakaan awam (“public library”)
• sektor awam (“public sector”)
• sfera awam (“public sphere”)
• tandas awam (“public toilet”)
• telefon awam (“public telephone”)
• undang awam (“public law”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: awam (inherited)

Further reading

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