mata-mata

See also: matamata, Matamata, matamatá, and mata mata

English

Etymology

From Malay mata-mata (“eyes”), plural of mata. Doublet of maka, from Hawaiian.

Noun

mata-mata (plural mata-matas)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, slang) A police officer.

Anagrams

• Mama Tata

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay mata-mata. Equivalent to reduplication of mata (“eye”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -ata
• Syllabification: ma‧ta-ma‧ta

Noun

mata-mata

1. (rare) plural of mata

Noun

mata-mata (plural mata-mata or para mata-mara)

1. spy (a person who secretly watches and examines the actions of another individual or organization)

   Synonyms: agen rahasia, intelijen, pelupuk, pengintai, pengintip, penyuluh, perisik, luluk

Usage notes

• The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay mata-mata.

Derived terms

• kemata-mataan (“spyness”)
• mata-matai (“spy on”)
• memata-matai (“to spy”)
• pemata-mataan (“spying”)

Further reading

• “mata-mata”, 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

Reduplication of mata (“eye”).

Pronunciation

• (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): /ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]
  • Rhymes: -ata
• (Kuala Lumpur-Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˌmatə ˈmatə/ [ˌma.t̪ə ˈma.t̪ə]
  • Rhymes: -atə
• (Kedah) IPA^(key): /ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]
  • Rhymes: -ata
• Syllabification: ma‧ta-ma‧ta

Noun

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢, uncountable)

1. plural of mata
2. a police officer [plural: para mata-mata]

   Synonyms: polis, perajurit

3. a spy [plural: para mata-mata]

   Synonyms: ejen rahsia, pengintip, perisik, luluk

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian mata-mata.

Descendants

• > Indonesian: mata-mata (inherited)
• → Cantonese: 馬打 / 马打 (maa³ daa¹ / maa⁵ daa¹)
• → English: mata-mata
• → Hokkien: 馬打 / 马打 (má-tâ / mā-tà)
• → Mandarin: 馬打 / 马打 (mǎdǎ, mǎdá)
• → Teochew: 馬打 / 马打 (ma¹ da⁶)
  • → Thai: หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa)
• →? Vietnamese: mã tà

Further reading

• "mata-mata" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "mata-mata" at PRPM first version)
• “mata-mata”, in Kamus Dewan [The Institute Dictionary] (in Malay), Fourth edition, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2005, →ISBN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌma.tɐˈma.tɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˌma.tɐˈma.tɐ/

Etymology 1

Reduplication of mata (“he/she kills”).

Noun

mata-mata m (plural mata-matas)

1. (Brazil, sports) knockout stage, (UK) tie (tournament in which a team or player must beat the opponent in order to progress)

   Synonym: a eliminar (Portugal)

See also

• eliminatória
• play-off
• repescagem

Etymology 2

Noun

mata-mata f (plural mata-matas)

1. alternative form of matamatá

Further reading

• “mata-mata”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mata-mata”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026