Nasrani

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic نَصْرَانِيّ (naṣrāniyy).

Noun

Nasrani (plural Nasranis or Nasara)

1. (in Arabic contexts) A Christian.
2. (in Arabic contexts) A non-Muslim foreigner; a westerner.

Etymology 2

Ultimately from the same source as above.

Noun

Nasrani (plural Nasranis)

1. (in Greek, Aramaic and Indian contexts) Nazarene (follower of Jesus)
2. In Kerala, India the ethno-religious community of Saint Thomas Christians who are still regarded with high social status use the term Marthoma Nasrani to self-designate.

Related terms

• Nazarene
• Nazareth

Anagrams

• Narains, narasin

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay Nasrani, from Arabic نَصْرَانِيّ (naṣrāniyy, “Christian”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nas.ra.ni/
• Hyphenation: Nas‧ra‧ni

Noun

Nasrani

1. (Islam) Christian

Usage notes

• This word is seldom used as a self-designation by Christians and is widely considered politically incorrect. Since this word is the word used for “Christian” in the Quran and hadith, it retains some currency in Islamic religious discourse.

Synonyms

• Kristen
• Serani

Further reading

• “Nasrani” 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.

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic نَصْرَانِيّ (naṣrāniyy, “Christian”). Doublet of Serani.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nas.rɔ.ni], [nas.ra.ni]
• Rhymes: -ni, -i
• Hyphenation: Nas‧ra‧ni

Proper noun

Nasrani (Jawi spelling نصراني)

1. (Islam) Christianity

   Synonyms: Kristian, Serani

2. Kristang (ethnic group)

   Synonym: Serani

Usage notes

This word is seldom used as a self-designation by Christians. Since this word is the word used for “Christian” in the Quran and hadith, it retains some currency in Islamic religious discourse.

Affixations

• kenasranian (“Christianness”)
• nasranikan (“to Christianize”)

 

Compounds

• masuk Nasrani (“to convert to Christianity”)

 

Further reading

• “Nasrani” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.