mata-mata

See also: matamata, matamatá, and mata mata

English

Etymology

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

Noun

mata-mata (plural mata-matas)

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

Anagrams

• Mama Tata

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Indonesian

Noun

mata-mata

1. plural of mata

Noun

mata-mata (plural banyak mata-mata)

1. spy

Further reading

• “mata-mata” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

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Malay

Noun

mata-mata

1. plural of mata

Noun

mata-mata (plural banyak mata-mata, informal 1st possessive mata-mataku, 2nd possessive mata-matamu, 3rd possessive mata-matanya)

1. policeman
2. spy

Descendants

• → English: mata-mata
• → Chinese: 馬打／马打 (mǎdǎ)
  • → Thai: หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa)

Further reading

• “mata-mata” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• "mata-mata" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.