cabai

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃabai̯/ [ˈt͡ʃa.bai̯]
  • Rhymes: -abai̯
  • Syllabification: ca‧bai
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃabe/ [ˈt͡ʃa.be], /ˈt͡ʃabeʔ/ [ˈt͡ʃa.bɛʔ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Malay cabai, from Old Javanese cabe, cabya, cawya, cawi (“pepper”), from Sanskrit चव्य, चवि (cavya, cavi, “Piper chaba”).

cabai

Noun

cabai (plural cabai-cabai)

1. a plant of the genus Capsicum
2. chili: the pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking
3. chili pepper: any fruit of a plant of the botanical genus Capsicum, which has a spicy/burning flavour because it contains capsaicin

Alternative forms

• cabe (colloquial)
• tjabai (1901–1947, 1947–1972)
• tjabe (colloquial, 1901–1947, 1947–1972)

Synonyms

• (all senses): lombok, rica

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

cabai (plural cabai-cabai)

1. flowerpecker (any member of the family Dicaeidae of passerine birds, many of which feed on nectar)

Further reading

• “cabai”, 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

From Old Javanese cabe, cabya, cawya, cawi (“pepper”), from Sanskrit चव्य, चवि (cavya, cavi, “Piper chaba”).

Noun

cabai (Jawi spelling چاباي, plural cabai-cabai or cabai²)

1. (dialect) chili: the pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
2. (dialect) chili pepper: any fruit of a plant of the botanical genus Capsicum, which has a spicy/burning flavour because it contains capsaicin.

See also

• cili
• lada

Further reading

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