balai mata-mata

Malay

Etymology

Compound of balai (“station, hall, public building”) +‎ mata-mata (“police, spy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbalaj ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌba.lai̯ ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]

Noun

balai mata-mata (Jawi spelling بالاي مات٢, uncountable)

1. (Malaysia, dated) police station (building of police force)

   Synonyms: balai polis, (Indonesian, Indonesian Malay) kantor polisi

Descendants

• → Chinese: 馬打厝 / 马打厝, 馬打寮 / 马打寮 (partial calque)

See also

• pondok polis

Further reading

• "balai mata-mata" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017