Mat Salleh

Malay

Etymology

Presumably borrowed from English mad sailor, referring to unruly, drunk British sailors who fought at ports and a euphemism used by the colonial British authorities. It could be derived from mat, which is a colloquial term for a specific person, and salih, which is a word meaning weird. See also Malay mat rempit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mat saleh/
• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [mät̚ säle̞h, -eh, -ɪh]

Noun

Mat Salleh (informal 1st possessive Mat Sallehku, 2nd possessive Mat Sallehmu, 3rd possessive Mat Sallehnya)

1. (slang) white person, usually a male.

   Synonym: orang putih

   Antonym: Minah Salleh (a white woman)