bianglala

Betawi

Alternative forms

• bianglalè (Urban Jakarta)

Etymology

Borrowed from Balinese ᬩᬶᬬᬗ᭄ᬮᬮᬄ (bianglalah, “rainbow”). The alternative form [b]iyang-lalâr attested in Crawfurd (1852), analyzed as biang (“source, mother”) +‎ laler (“fly [insect]”), is probably an eggcorn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi(j)aŋlala/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: bi‧ang‧la‧la

Noun

bianglala

1. rainbow (multicoloured arch in the sky)

   Synonyms: ketumbiri, kudungan, kuwung-kuwung, lengkuwung, tengkuwung, layung, pelangi, selèndang, tangga nyai putri mandi

Descendants

• → Indonesian: bianglala
• → Malay: bianglala

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /biaŋˈlala/ [bi.aŋˈla.la]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: bi‧ang‧la‧la

Etymology 1

After the Bianglala Ferris wheel ride, first opened in 1985 at the Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) theme park in Jakarta. Itself derived from the word bianglala (“rainbow”).

Noun

bianglala (plural bianglala-bianglala)

1. Ferris wheel [from 1985]

   Synonym: kincir ria

Etymology 2

From Betawi bianglala, from Balinese ᬩᬶᬬᬗ᭄ᬮᬮᬄ (bianglalah, “rainbow”).

Noun

bianglala (plural bianglala-bianglala)

2. (chiefly Jakarta, now dated) rainbow (multicoloured arch in the sky)

   Synonyms: pelangi, kuwung-kuwung, keluwung, teja

Further reading

• “bianglala”, 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 Betawi bianglala, from Balinese ᬩᬶᬬᬗ᭄ᬮᬮᬄ (bianglalah, “rainbow”).

Pronunciation

• (Baku) IPA^(key): /bjaŋˈlala/ [bjaŋˈla.la]
  • Rhymes: -ala
• (schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /bjaŋˈlalə/ [bjaŋˈla.lə]
  • Rhymes: -alə
• Hyphenation: biang‧la‧la

Noun

bianglala (Jawi spelling بياڠلالا, plural bianglala-bianglala or bianglala²)

1. (chiefly Batavian Malay, rare and sometimes poetic elsewhere) rainbow

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pelangi

Further reading

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