bidadari

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay bidadari, from Sanskrit विद्याधरी (vidyādharī, “fairy; sprite”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /bidaˈdari/ [bi.daˈda.ri]
• Rhymes: -ari
• Syllabification: bi‧da‧da‧ri

Noun

bidadari

1. angel (messenger from a deity)
2. (figurative) beautiful women

Synonyms

• apsari
• malaikat

Further reading

• “bidadari”, 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 Sanskrit विद्याधरी (vidyādharī, “fairy”).

Pronunciation

• (Baku, schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /ˌbidaˈdari/ [ˌbi.daˈda.ri]
• Rhymes: -ari
• Hyphenation: bi‧da‧da‧ri

Noun

bidadari (Jawi spelling بيداداري, plural bidadari-bidadari or bidadari²)

1. goddess (female deity)

   Synonym: dewi

   Coordinate term: bidadara

2. angel (of female)

   Near-synonym: malaikat

3. (Islam) houri
4. (figurative) beautiful woman

Descendants

• > Indonesian: bidadari (inherited)
• → Tausug: biraddali
• → Ternate: bidadari

Further reading

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

Ternate

Etymology

From Classical Malay بيداداري, from Sanskrit विद्याधरी (vidyādharī).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˌbi.da.ˈda.ɾi]
• Rhymes: -i

Noun

bidadari

1. a fairy, nymph

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh