semut

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay semut, from Aslian, from Proto-Austroasiatic *smuːcʔ (“ant”). (Displaced) native anai (“ant”; now often pluralised as anai-anai, and chiefly meaning “termite”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /səˈmut/ [səˈmʊt̪̚]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ut
• Syllabification: se‧mut

Noun

sêmut (plural semut-semut)

1. (zoology) ant

Derived terms

Affixations

• bersemut
• disemuti
• kesemutan
• menyemut
• menyemuti
• semut-semutan

Compounds

• semut angkrang
• semut api
• semut firaun
• semut gajah
• semut gatal
• semut geramang
• semut gula
• semut hitam
• semut kerengga
• semut keripik
• semut pudak
• semut putih
• semut rangrang
• semut setanda
• semut temenggung
• semut tukang kayu

Further reading

• Sidwell, Paul (2024), “500 Proto Austroasiatic Etyma: Version 1.0”, in Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society‎^[1], volume 17, number 1, pages i–xxxiii
• “semut”, 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

Javanese

Noun

semut

1. ant

Malay

Alternative forms

• samut (Brunei Malay)

Etymology

From Aslian, from Proto-Austroasiatic *smuːcʔ (“ant”). (Displaced) native anai (“ant”; now often pluralised and as anai-anai and chiefly meaning “termite”).

Pronunciation

• (schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /səˈmot/ [səˈmot̪̚]

  • Audio:

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ot

• (Baku) IPA^(key): /səˈmut/ [səˈmut̪̚]
  • Rhymes: -ut
• Hyphenation: se‧mut

Noun

semut (Jawi spelling سموت, plural semut-semut or semut²)

1. (zoology) ant

Derived terms

Affixations

• bersemut
• menyemut

Compounds

• getek semut / ketip semut (“a traditional children game (lit. ant-nip)”)
• semut api (“fire ant”)
• semut Charlie / semut kayap / semut semai (“Paederus”)
• semut gajah (“Dinomyrmex”)
• semut gatal (“pharaoh ant”)
• semut geramang (“blood-red ant”)
• semut gula / semut manisan (“odorous house ant”)
• semut kayu (“carpenter ant”)
• semut sabong / semut sabur (“Tetraponera rufonigra”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: semut (inherited)

See also

• cengkiak / kiak-kiak / kengkiak / kelengkiak / lengkiak
• kerengga

Further reading

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