lebai

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay lebai (“someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert”).

The extended sense of "a supporter or member of PAS" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues, carried over from Malay-language usage.

Noun

lebai (plural lebais)

1. (Malaysia, derogatory, slang, Islam, religion) A very devout person who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
2. (Malaysia, derogatory, Malaysian politics, Internet slang) A member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), esp. one who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
3. (Malaysia, derogatory, Malaysian politics, Internet slang, by extension) A supporter of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• lebé (Jakarta)
• labai (West Sumatra)

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ləˈbai̯/ [ləˈbai̯]
• Rhymes: -ai̯
• Syllabification: le‧bai

Etymology 1

From Malay lebai, from Classical Malay لباي (lĕbai), from Tamil லப்பை (lappai), a name of a trading community.

Noun

lêbai (plural lebai-lebai)

1. (Islam, religion) mosque official
2. (Islam, religion) village official in charge of Muslim religious affairs
3. registrar; keeper of records

Derived terms

• lebai malang
• lebai penghulu

Etymology 2

Corruption from lebih, where the second syllable pronounced in a pseudo-English way.

lêbai (comparative lebih lebai, superlative paling lebai)

1. (colloquial) overdone, corny

   Tuh orang lebai banget

   That guy is so corny.

Alternative forms

• lebay (nonstandard)

Further reading

• “lebai”, 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 Tamil லப்பை (lappai), a name of a trading community. The Tamil word originally meant "here I am", as a term of address for people who converted to Islam. See Labbay for more information.

The extended sense of "a supporter or member of the Malaysian Islamic Party" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ləˈbaj/ [ləˈbai̯]
• Rhymes: -bai̯, -ai̯

Noun

lebai (Jawi spelling لباي, plural lebai-lebai or lebai²)

1. (Islam, religion) expert in Islam
2. (Islam, religion) devout Muslim
3. (slang, derogatory) someone who forces people to follow a more conservative attitude; conservative know-it-all.
4. (derogatory, Malaysian politics, Internet slang) member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), esp. one who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
5. (derogatory, Malaysian politics, Internet slang, by extension) supporter of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
   • 2021, Utusan[1]
   • Masyarakat tidak sepatutnya lagi menggelar Pas sebagai sebuah parti ‘tok lebai’ dan Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) Mela­ka akan membuktikan bahawa tanggapan itu salah.

     The community should no longer call the PAS Party as a party of "know-it-alls", and the State Election of Melaka will prove that notion wrong.

Derived terms

Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

• kelebaian (“obsessed with religion”) [abstract / locative] (ke-an)

Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:

• lebai ketayap (“a person who outwardly practices religion but is a hypocrite”)
• lebai malang (“a very vain person”)
• tok lebai (“a religious elder”)

Descendants

• Indonesian: lêbai
• → English: lebai

Further reading

• "lebai" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "lebai" at PRPM first version)